ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Avian Quarantine

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which recommendations from the report of the Independent Review of Avian Quarantine have been implemented.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government and the Devolved Administrations published their response to the Independent Review of UK Avian Quarantine on19 April. This is available on the Defra website: http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/control/avianquarantine/pov-strategy/index.htm
	The Government and the Devolved Administrations either accept, or accept in principle, 29 of the 32 recommendations. However, some of the responses are preliminary, pending further consultation with stakeholders or the completion of further studies. For many of the recommendations, the European Commission would be responsible for taking forward any necessary action. Two of the recommendations require further consideration, and one recommendation regarding pet birds has been rejected. These are detailed in the Government response.
	There is currently an EU ban on imports of captive wild birds, which is due to expire on 31 July. A decision on whether to extend the ban will be taken at the EU Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health in June.
	The key elements of the Government response are currently being implemented and will be in place before imports resume. In addition, all approved quarantine premises will need to be reassessed against revised standards before they can accept any birds into quarantine.
	In April 2005 the European Commission requested the European Food Safety Authority to carry out a review of the animal health and welfare aspects of imports of captive wild birds, which is due to report in October 2006. This will inform EU policy and we await their opinion with interest.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what response he has made to the advice from the Science Advisory Council on bovine tuberculosis;
	(2)  when he will answer question 54634 tabled by the hon. Member for Portsmouth South on 24 February 2006.

Ben Bradshaw: Science Advisory Council (SAC) advice on bovine TB was taken into consideration by the Chief Scientific Advisor when formulating his guidance to Ministers on new measures to tackle the disease, announced on 15 December 2005.
	Further advice was provided on 20 December 2005, following the publication of interim results of the Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT).
	Defra provided the SAC with an update on bovine TB activity at a meeting on 12 January 2006.Draft minutes of the meeting are available on the Defra website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/science/how/advisory06a.htm.

Case Control Study

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will expand the farm management questionnaire in the Case Control Study 2005 (CCS 2005) to include more farmers and landowners in the survey and to add additional animal health officers as participating bodies.

Ben Bradshaw: Data collection for the Case Control Study 2005 (CCS 2005) has been completed. The study was put in place at the request of the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB (ISG) to gather data on TB risk factors.
	CCS 2005 was designed to be a one-year study only, in order to collect data in time for analysis and reporting by the ISG. The ISG's work is due to conclude in March 2007.

Dairy Industry

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the  (a) operation and  (b) profitability of the dairy market; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The Department has not made an assessment of the operation or profitability of the dairy market. However, the Milk Development Council publishes a report on an annual basis which examines dairy supply chain margins. The last report covering 2004-05 showed that dairy supply chain margins did not change significantly from the year before. Dairy farm income rose slightly as a result of marginally higher farmgate prices and the payment of thedairy premium. Processor margins varied during the period. Retail margins generally continued to increase (a Europe-wide phenomenon).

Dairy Industry

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of  (a) the pattern of volume output in the milk year and  (b) levels of profit derived at each stage of the dairy food chain.

Barry Gardiner: Final calculations about milk production are still being made, but although it appears that wholesale milk production was lower in 2005-06 than 2004-05, it is too early to tell whether this is a long term trend or has been caused by weather, restructuring etc. The UK is more often under quota than over it and it must be remembered that quota is a limit on production and not a target.
	The Department has not made an assessment of the operation or profitability of the dairy market. However, the Milk Development Council publishes a report on an annual basis which examines dairy supply chain margins. The last report covering 2004-05 showed that dairy supply chain margins did not change significantly from the year before. Dairy farm income rose slightly as a result of marginally higher farmgate prices and the payment of the dairy premium. Processor margins varied during the period. Retail margins generally continued to increase (a Europe-wide phenomenon).

Dairy Industry

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on milk price  (a) regulation and  (b) indexing.

Barry Gardiner: We believe the market must determine prices. Provided competition law is respected, the Government cannot and do not get involved in price negotiations.

Dairy Industry

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it his policy to establish a regulator of the dairy market.

Barry Gardiner: The Government supported the conclusion of the Environment, Rood and Rural Affairs Committee in 2004 that there was no compelling evidence in favour of setting up a regulatory body to oversee the dairy industry. It is difficult to see how a regulator could determine a fair price other than by reference to a market price. A price regulator would almost certainly be incompatible with EU competition law and with the common organisation of the market in milk and milk products.

Departmental Policies

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will set out with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to West Lancashire constituency the effects in West Lancashire of changes to his Department's policies since 1997.

Barry Gardiner: Since the Department was established in 2001, we have put in place a considerable programme of reforms and improvements. For example, action on sustainable development, climate change and energy, sustainable consumption and production, natural resource protection, sustainable rural communities, and a sustainable farming and food sector. A summary of achievements relating to these policy areas can be found at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/achievements.htm. I am confident that the West Lancashire constituency will have benefited from these.
	In particular, the West Lancashire constituency has benefited from funding through the National Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund as well as the Waste Performance and Efficiency Grant to deliver household waste recycling levels that are currently well above the national average. Singly, or in partnership with other Lancashire authorities, West Lancashire has received more than £7 million to support progress in this area in the last three years.
	Under the Nitrates Directive, around 80 per cent. of the West Lancashire constituency was designated as an Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) in 2002; currently about 55 per cent. of England is designated. Farmers in NVZs are required to follow an action programme aimed at reducing the risk of nitrates loss; for example by limiting the amount of nitrogen applied on the farm during the year and by not applying manure or fertilisers during certain times of the year.
	Since 2003, local authority performance on street cleanliness has been measured through best value performance indicator BV199. This assesses the percentage of survey sites in each local authority area with unacceptable levels of litter and detritus. In 2003-04 West Lancashire scored 18.2 per cent. against a national average of21.2 per cent., and in 2004-05 19 per cent. against a national average of 18.1 per cent. These results are for West Lancashire district, comprising the constituencies of West Lancashire and South Ribble. Data are not available at the constituency level.
	In March 2005 we announced that Lancashire would be one of eight rural pathfinders in England. The pathfinder initiative is a key part of the Government's Rural Strategy and reflects the Government's commitment to devolve decision making and resources to the local level. The Lancashire rural pathfinder is helping to ensure greater co-ordination of rural delivery programmes, including testing new and innovative methods to bring about improvements in the delivery of services to rural communities and businesses.
	Lancashire has also proved to be a fertile ground for our Defra's Project Based Schemes which are generally available to farmers to help them develop new business opportunities and widen the skills they already possess. For example, Farmer Ted's Farm Park, located at Worral House Farm just outside Southport, was opened in 2003 with the help of funding from the Rural Enterprise Scheme. In the first 18 months it received over 38,000 visitors including 480 school trips. The attraction also contributes to the local economy by employing 10 full-time and 30 part-time employees.
	The RPA will be releasing details of payments made under the new Single Payment Scheme (SPS) in due course. It will publish an annual figure for payments to each recipient under the SPS drawn from its financial records. The information will be extracted and published on the RPA website later this year.
	Indicators of environmental quality for West Lancashire district are given as follows, they are for water quality and waste and recycling. Data for other indicators are available only either at regional and/or national level and not local level, or for individual monitoring sites not within the area local to West Lancashire. For some indicators data for 1997 are not available and the nearest year for which data are available has been given.
	
		
			  Results from General Quality Assessment monitoring of water quality for river stretches within West Lancashire DC 
			   Percentage of total assessed river length which is of: 
			  Water quality  Good quality  Fair quality  Poor quality  Bad quality  Total km 
			  Biological quality  
			 2000 3 72 22 2 111 
			 2004 4 87 8 0 111 
			   
			  Chemical quality  
			 1997 0 30 67 3 145 
			 2000 20 68 12 0 145 
			 2004 19 69 13 0 145 
		
	
	
		
			  Nitrate and phosphate concentrations 
			  Water quality  Concentration more than 30 mg NO 3 /I  Total km 
			 1995 62 145 
			 2000 60 145 
			 2004 59 145 
		
	
	
		
			  Water quality  Percentage of river length with concentration more than 0.1 mg P/I phosphate  Total km 
			 1995 73 145 
			 2000 76 145 
			 2004 76 145 
		
	
	
		
			  Recycling rate for West Lancashire DC—Best Value Performance Indicators (BVPIs) 
			  Waste and recycling  Percentage of household waste recycled and composted 
			 1997-98 9.1 
			 2004-95 26.2 
			  Note:  There have been some change in definitions between in the BVPIs between 1997-98 and 2004-05 but figures should be broadly comparable. 
		
	
	Water quality data are from the "e-Digest of environmental statistics" on Defra's website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/index.htm. The BVPI data are from the Audit Commission's website at: http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/performance/dataprovision-previous.asp.
	Defra provides a range of comprehensive statistical information. This is available on the Department's website at: http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/default.asp

Farm Land Prices

Eric Martlew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average price of farm land in England was in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2005.

Barry Gardiner: In 1997 the average price for agricultural land was £6,448 per hectare. Data for 2005 are not yet available, the most recent figures available are for 2004. In 2004 the average price per hectare for agricultural land was £7,786. Please note that figures for 2004 are provisional estimates and could be subject to change.

Fur Trade

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he has taken to prevent the import of fur from domestic animals from China.

Ian McCartney: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government have sought to establish the facts about the extent of the alleged trade in domestic cat and dog fur in the UK. We have found no evidence that such fur is being imported into this country in significant volumes. The Government have also been working to establish a scientific test to make it possible to ascertain reliably from what species of animal any given fur sample has come.
	We firmly believe that action on this issue should and would best be taken at EU level as a harmonised approach would have greater impact, enhance animal-welfare standards within the EU itself and avoid obstacles to the operation of the single market. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs supported calls for the European Commission to investigate these allegations when the Agriculture and Fisheries Council met in May 2005.
	In January 2006, the Commission published its Action Plan on the Protection and Welfare of Animals, which proposes action in the course of 2006 to address public concerns on the trading of cat and dog fur and derived products. On 20 February, Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner Kyprianou stated at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council that the Commission was planning to publish a proposal on the import of cat and dog fur within the next few months.

Milk Industry

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the relationship between the levels of imports of milk and the purchase of milk from domestic producers.

Barry Gardiner: The Government have made no such assessment. The UK does not import significant quantities of liquid milk.

Reservoirs

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  if he will list the reservoirs which have been closed and built over since 1997;
	(2)  what statutory requirements must be complied with in order to close and re-develop reservoirs.

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many reservoirs have been closed in the last 15 years.

Ian Pearson: The Department does not hold information on the number of reservoirs closed or built over, either in respect of water company reservoirs or those in other ownership.
	The closure and discontinuance of reservoirs subject to the Reservoirs Act 1975 has to be carried out under the supervision of specialist engineers appointed to operate under the Act. Redevelopment of the site would require planning permission.

Rural Payments Agency

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total running costs of the Rural Payments Agency and its predecessor were in each of the last three years.

Barry Gardiner: The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is an Executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and was formed on 16 October 2001. The previous three years' costs therefore only relate to RPA.
	RPA's gross running costs for these years were as follows:
	
		
			   Amount (£ million) 
			 2002-03 (1)186.4 
			 2003-04 198.3 
			 2004-05 249.2 
			 (1) Restated figure under merger accounting 
		
	
	Further details are given in the accounts for these years (HC 940, HC 1009 and HC 82 respectively).

Rural Payments Agency

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the job description is of each member of the senior management team of the Rural Payments Agency; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The Chief Executive and other Directors make up the senior management team of the Rural Payments Agency (RPA). In addition to the functions of the Chief Executive as Chief Accounting Officer, there are currently five Directors who work to individual performance-related objectives supporting the Agency's key performance targets. These cover RPA's Operations, Information Systems, Business Development, Finance and Resources and the provision of Legal Services. Their aims and objectives are outlined in the RPA's Annual Report and Accounts, last year's copy of which is in the Library of the House.

Rural Payments Agency

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many outside contracts worth over £100,000 the Rural Payments Agency has awarded since 2001, broken down by  (a) value,  (b) recipient and  (c) tender process.

Barry Gardiner: RPA acquires high value goods and services—where the value exceeds the EU directive threshold—either by tendering via OJEU and letting its own contracts, or by using contracts previously advertised by the OGC or other Government Departments.
	The details of contracts worth over £100,000 the Rural Payments Agency has directly awarded since 2001 have been placed in the Library of the House.

Rural Payments Agency

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what staff turnover within the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) was in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The following table shows all starters and leavers by year commencing 1 April since 2001. "Leavers" includes those individuals who left on redundancy terms as part of the downsizing of RPA.
	
		
			   Staff  Leavers  Starters  Percentage of increase/ decrease 
			 2001-02 1,548.75 786 808 1.42 
			 2002-03 3,245.55 763 643 -3 .70 
			 2003-04 3,631.17 780 237 -14.95 
			 2004-05 3,712.17 754 587 -4.50 
			 2005-06 3,235.75 1,081 726 -10.97

Rural Payments Agency

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff there were within the Rural Payments Agency in each year since 2001, broken down by grade.

Barry Gardiner: The following table shows the average number of staff by grade employed by the Rural Payments Agency in each year commencing 1 April.
	
		
			  Average number of staff in RPA since 2001 
			  Grade  2001-02( 1)  2001-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 SCB 8 10 10 12 11 
			 Grade 6 10 13 12 10 9 
			 Grade 7 45 52 50 47 46 
			 SFO 2 2 2 1 1 
			 SEO 91 109 103 113 102 
			 HEO 178 270 260 250 218 
			 EO 463 796 780 768 658 
			 PS 12 15 14 11 5 
			 AO 622 1,477 1,765 1,854 1,824 
			 TYP 9 37 17 12 5 
			 SGB 1 7 13 18 22 18 
			 AA 86 392 577 589 323 
			 SGB 2 15 62 25 24 16 
			 Total 1,548 3,248 3,633 3,713 3,231 
			 (1) During this year the Intervention Board (IB) and key Regional Development Service (RDS) functions merged to form the Rural Payments Agency.   Note:  Information has been supplied in Financial Years.

Single Farm Payments

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on the delivery of the single payment scheme and progress towards meeting the Government's target of 96 per cent. of payments to be made by the end of March.

Barry Gardiner: 120,367 applications were received for the Single Payment Scheme (SPS). By the end of26 April 52,922 claims (44.10 per cent.) had been paid.
	The remaining claims will be paid as soon as legally possible following the positive action set out in my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's written statement on 16 March 2006,  Official Report, column 104WS, and the written statement on 19 April 2006,  Official Report, column 13WS.

Single Farm Payments

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the Rural Payments Agency on the efficiency and accuracy of its computer systems; and whether the Agency has allocated the correct payments for each farm.

Barry Gardiner: My right hon. Friend the former Secretary of State and my noble Friend Lord Bach, had regular meetings with the acting chief executive of the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) at which a range of issues surrounding the performance of the Agency were discussed. By the end of Wednesday 26 April, 52,922 claims (44.10 per cent.) had been paid under the single payment scheme. The RPA will consider any representations made by farmers about the accuracy of those or other payments made by the Agency and take corrective action where appropriate.

Single Farm Payments

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many eligible farmers in Beverley and Holderness are awaiting payment of outstanding single farm moneys due to them; what percentage of eligible farmers had received their full entitlement to the single farm payment as at 31 March 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farmers in Devon received payments under the Single Payment Scheme by 28 March; and how many are still to receive it.

David Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made with payments to farmers in the East Midlands under the Single Payment Scheme.

Barry Gardiner: 120,367 applications were received for the Single Payment Scheme (SPS). By the end of 26 April, 52,922 claims (44.10 per cent.) had been paid.
	The Rural Payments Agency does not have data available on a regional basis, as the scheme is not administered in this way.

Single Farm Payments

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the 2006 single farm payment application form was passed to the Plain English Campaign for editing before its despatch to farmers.

Barry Gardiner: The 2006 version of the single payment scheme handbook and guidance for England was not submitted to the Plain English Campaign for editing; however it was edited by the Central Office of Information. The application form was not.

Single Farm Payments

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in what circumstances he will  (a) make advance single farm scheme payments (SFSP) to farmers whose 2005 claims have been delayed for payment beyond 31 March 2006 and  (b) pay interest on those SFSP claims which have been unreasonably delayed.

Barry Gardiner: The vast majority of farmers will have received either a full or partial single payment scheme (SPS) payment by 30 June 2006. As with predecessor schemes there will be some complex claims that will not be paid before 30 June.
	The issue of interest payments or compensation does not arise as the EU regulations governing the scheme provide for a payment window that runs until 30 June.

Single Farm Payments

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of single farm payments have been paid with respect to the financial year 2005-06.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 27 April 2006
	120,367 applications were received for the Single Payment Scheme. By close of business on 26 April 2006 some 52,922 claims to the 2005 Single Payment Scheme, representing 44.10 per cent. of total claimants had been paid.

Single Farm Payments

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many single farm payments awards in  (a) Beverley and Holderness and  (b) England have been terminated following the return of (i) an incomplete and (ii) a late application; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: 1,171 applications to the Single Payment Scheme 2005 were rejected due to  (a) an incomplete application or  (b) being received after the final deadline of 10 June 2005.
	The Single Payment Scheme is not administered on a regional basis; therefore the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) does not hold information specific to the Beverley and Holdnerness constituency.

Single Farm Payments

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many small businesses his Department estimates will be declared bankrupt as a result of the late payment of claims under the 2005 Single Payment Scheme.

Barry Gardiner: My noble Friend Lord Bach, met the British Bankers' Association and other representatives of the major lending banks on 30 March 2006 to discuss the situation of farmers awaiting payment under the Single Payment Scheme. The banks re-emphasised on that occasion that
	"no viable business is being refused additional financial support and, as a result, no viable businesses are failing because of uncertainty about the payments timetable".

Single Farm Payments

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the impact that delays within the 2005 Single Payment Scheme will have on the ability of the Rural Payments Agency to deliver the 2006 Single Payment Scheme.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 27 April 2006
	The full impact of the timing of 2005 Single Payment Scheme on the timetable for the 2006 scheme will not become clear until the vast majority of payments have been made and any corrective action identified. However, preparation for the 2006 scheme is well under way, with the vast majority of 2005 scheme claimants having received a claim form for this year's scheme. Business processes and IT systems required to process 2006 scheme claims are being developed and deployed on an iterative basis, and data capture of 2006 scheme claims will commence shortly.

Single Farm Payments

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farmers in  (a) Lancaster and Wyre constituency and  (b) Lancashire have received a single farm payment.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 3 May 2006
	120,367 applications were received for the single payment scheme. By the end of Wednesday 26 April 52,922 claims (44.10 per cent.) had been paid.
	The Rural Payments Agency does not have data available on a regional basis, as the scheme is not administered in this way.

Telephone Advice Lines

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many telephone advice lines his Department and its non-departmental public bodies support; how many telephone advisers each employs; and how much funding is provided to each by  (a) his Department and its non-departmental public bodies,  (b) other Government Departments,  (c) the private sector and  (d) the voluntary sector.

Barry Gardiner: Defra and its non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) currently provide 33 telephone advice lines. No funding is provided by other Government Departments, the private sector or the voluntary sector. The number of telephone advisers employed varies according to the level of business demand. It is not possible to ascertain the amount of funding Defra and its NDPBs provide without disproportionate cost.

Water Metering

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research the Department has undertaken on intelligent water metering.

Ian Pearson: The Department has not undertaken research into intelligent water metering, but research has been carried out by the industry and the Department has taken a keen interest in this. The Water Saving Group is considering a broad range of topics relating to metering.

WALES

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many  (a) EU foreign nationals and  (b) non-EU foreign nationals have been employed in his Department in each of the last five years; what vetting procedures are in place for each category of staff; and whether these include liaison with foreign law enforcement agencies.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office draws its staff from other bodies, namely the National Assembly for Wales and Department of Constitutional Affairs. Staff have already been vetted by their employing bodies before moving to the Wales Office. The Wales Office does not hold information about the nationality of its employees centrally, and obtaining this information could only be achieved at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what opportunities exist for people to work beyond retirement age in his Department.

Peter Hain: Staff serving in the Wales Office are either on loan from the National Assembly for Wales or employed by the Department for Constitutional Affairs. Their retirement age is agreed with their home departments rather than by the Wales Office. The Wales Office has a number of staff who have opted to work beyond normal retirement age.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of the staff in his Department is  (a) male,  (b) female and  (c) disabled, broken down by grade.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office publishes information about the gender and grading of staff in its annual departmental report, which is available in the House Library.
	The Wales Office has a small number of staff with disabilities. For privacy reasons the numbers are confidential, in line with guidance issued by the Cabinet Office, which states that Departments are not required to provide figures on the number of disabled staff where it is less than five in the department.

Private Office Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of his private office staff is (a) male,  (b) female and  (c) disabled.

Peter Hain: The gender split of my private office staff is as follows:
	 (a) 42.9 per cent. of the staff are male
	 (b) 57.1 per cent. of the staff are female
	The Wales Office has a small number of staff with disabilities. For privacy reason the numbers are confidential, in line with guidance issued by the Cabinet Office, which states that Departments are not required to provide figures on the number of disabled staff where it is less than five in the department.

TRANSPORT

Aircraft Noise

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the commitment in the White Paper on the future of aviation to bear down on aircraft noise, what target decibel level his Department has set for aircraft noise.

Gillian Merron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Member for Halton (Derek Twigg) on 8 May 2006,  Official Report, column 15W about the steps we are taking to bear down on aircraft noise.

Bus Journeys (Doncaster, North)

Edward Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passenger bus journeys were taken by residents of Doncaster, North in  (a) 1984,  (b) 1994 and  (c) 2004.

Gillian Merron: The information requested is not available for Doncaster, North. The number of passenger bus journeys per person per year in Yorkshire and Humberside are listed in the following table for  (a)1985-06,  (b)1994 and  (c) 2004.
	
		
			  Average number of passenger bus journeys per person per year for Yorkshire and Humberside 
			 1985-06 139 
			 1994 88 
			 2004 67

Buses

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total public spending  (a) per head of the population and  (b) per passenger was on bus services (i) including and (ii) excluding funding for concessionary travel in (A) London, (B) each of the English Passenger Transport Executive areas and (C) the rest of England in each of the last 10 years.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 8 May 2006
	The information requested is shown in the following tables (figures are not available for 1995-96).
	
		
			  Total spending on bus services including concessionary fare funding 
			  £ per head of population 
			  Area  1996-97  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Greater Manchester 23 22 23 24 25 24 24 31 28 
			 Merseyside 38 41 43 32 33 34 36 38 42 
			 South Yorkshire 21 20 14 13 14 15 15 16 18 
			 Tyne and Wear 26 25 25 28 28 28 30 25 25 
			 West Midlands 30 30 31 34 34 36 32 29 28 
			 West Yorkshire 19 19 20 19 21 22 20 21 19 
			 London 17 16 18 18 28 43 74 94 93 
			 Rest of England 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 10 11 
		
	
	
		
			  Total spending on bus services excluding concessionary fare funding 
			  £ per head of population 
			  Area  1996-97  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Greater Manchester 8 8 8 8 9 8 8 14 11 
			 Merseyside 15 18 18 8 9 10 10 12 15 
			 South Yorkshire 9 10 5 6 6 7 8 8 9 
			 Tyne and Wear 8 8 9 9 10 10 11 8 6 
			 West Midlands 9 8 10 11 10 12 10 6 6 
			 West Yorkshire 10 10 10 11 12 12 12 13 10 
			 London 2 0 2 1 12 25 57 76 73 
			 Rest of England 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 6 7 
		
	
	
		
			  Total spending on bus services including concessionary fare funding 
			  Pence per passenger journey 
			  Area  1996-97  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Greater Manchester 27 27 27 30 31 29 30 38 35 
			 Merseyside 33 38 40 29 32 33 34 37 40 
			 South Yorkshire 18 18 13 13 13 15 15 17 20 
			 Tyne and Wear 18 17 18 20 21 21 23 20 21 
			 West Midlands 22 21 23 25 25 26 24 23 23 
			 West Yorkshire 19 20 22 20 23 25 23 25 23 
			 London 10 9 10 10 15 22 36 41 39 
			 Rest of England 15 15 17 18 20 22 24 27 30 
		
	
	
		
			  Total spending on bus services excluding concessionary fare funding 
			  Pence per passenger journey 
			  Area  1996-97  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Greater Manchester 10 9 9 10 12 10 10 17 14 
			 Merseyside 13 17 17 8 8 9 10 12 14 
			 South Yorkshire 8 9 5 6 6 7 8 9 11 
			 Tyne and Wear 5 6 6 7 7 8 9 7 5 
			 West Midlands 7 5 8 8 7 9 7 5 4 
			 West Yorkshire 10 10 11 12 13 14 14 15 12 
			 London 1 0 1 1 6 13 28 33 31 
			 Rest of England 7 7 9 10 11 12 14 16 18 
		
	
	In addition, operators of local bus services receive Bus Service Operators Grant from this Department. This is paid direct to operators and is not attributed to a specific area.

Departmental Policies

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to West Lancashire constituency the effects in West Lancashire of changes to his Department's policies since 1997.

Derek Twigg: Capital funding for local transport in the West Lancashire constituency is allocated to the Lancashire county council. The funding provided to Lancashire county council since 1997 is shown in the following table. It is for Lancashire county council to determine how that allocation is spent, in line with the priorities detailed in their local transport plan.
	
		
			  Lancashire county council level of funding 
			  £000 
			   Maintenance  Integrated block  Major funding  Targeted bus grants( 1)  Total funding 
			 1997-98 — — — — 11,006 
			 1998-99 — — — 751 7,906 
			 1999-2000 — — — 751 10,432 
			 2000-01 6,096 4,800 600 751 12,283 
			 2001-02 16,630 11,200 — 960 28,790 
			 2002-03 17,782 11,922 1,026 1,098 31,828 
			 2003-04 13,337 12,051 — 1,121 26,509 
			 2004-05 16,176 13,033 — 1,238 30,447 
			 2005-06 14,865 11,000 — 1,287 27,152 
			 (1)Includes Rural Bus Subsidy Grant and Rural Bus challenge funding 
		
	
	The Government are also investing £87 billion per week nationally to improve the railways, which will benefit those in West Lancashire. TransPennine Express, who operate services in West Lancashire, have invested £250 million in a fleet of 51 new trains. Passengers are already travelling on these trains and the full fleet is expected to be operating by the end of January 2007.
	More locally, the West of Lancashire community rail partnership, which was established in 2000, has already been involved with the recent refurbishment of Parbold railway station, the development of a new interchange at Burscough Bridge and the introduction of a new Sunday service at Gathurst station and later evening service from Manchester to Southport.
	The public performance measure for Northern Rail (2004-05), which covers punctuality and reliability, shows that 85 per cent. of trains arrived within five minutes of their designated time, against a national average of 84 per cent. These figures show an improvement in Northern Rail's performance since 2003-04.

Departmental Staff

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many departmental staff work on  (a) rail,  (b) road,  (c) aviation,  (d) river,  (e) walking,  (f) cycling and  (g) light rail related matters.

Derek Twigg: Actual and planned numbers of staff working in the central Department and its Agencies are set out in the Department's Annual Report 2005(c. 6527). It is not possible to disaggregate staff numbers in the central Department by mode other than at disproportionate cost, since significant numbers work cross-modally or in units which are themselves cross-modal.

Driving Licences

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on the revised European directive on driving licences; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Driver licensing arrangements in the UK and in all other member states are currently governed by the second EU driver licensing directive (Directive 91/439/EEC). New proposals have been under negotiation since December 2003.
	On 27 March, the Council of Transport Ministers announced that it had reached political agreement on a text for a proposed third Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on driving licences. That text has now to be considered by the European Parliament before it can be adopted.
	The Government abstained from the vote in Council on 27 March, because we are disappointed that it has been impossible to secure amendments to achieve better and more flexible arrangements for staged access by young motorcycle riders to the larger machines.
	We believe that our present practice on licensing motorcycle riders, which insists on compulsory basic training and testing for all, is effective. We shall seek to work with motorcycle and road safety interests to devise as good as possible a way of retaining its benefits within the new EU framework.
	Although the Government abstained because of its disappointment over staged access to motorcycles for young riders, it did not oppose, because it welcomes most of the remainder of the agreed text.

GNER

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the impact of the award of an open GNER contract to Grand Central, with particular reference to the ability of GNER  (a) to achieve the objective of more trains between London and Leeds and  (b) to pay the Government the amount required under its franchise agreement.

Derek Twigg: Network Rail has been required by the Office of Rail Regulation to undertake further timetabling work to establish how many additional GNER Leeds-London trains can be accommodated in addition to the additional Grand Central and Hull Trains services for which ORR recently granted access rights. The GNER franchise agreement contains a commitment to pursue a half-hourly service to Leeds. The financial provisions of the GNER franchise agreement does not include the additional Leeds services in the agreed premium payments.

Heathrow

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings  (a) he has and  (b) his Ministers have had with (i) airport operators, (ii) aircraft operators and associated companies and (iii) the travel industry to discuss (A) night flights and (B) the expansion of Heathrow in the past two years; and if he will place in the Library the minutes of those meetings.

Gillian Merron: Ministers have met with a wide range of such bodies over the past two years. Issues relating to night flights and the expansion of Heathrow will have been discussed in the course of many of these meetings, along with other aviation issues. The matters discussed at such meetings are often confidential for commercial or other reasons, and it would not be appropriate to place the minutes in the House Library.

Level Crossings

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many level crossings there are in each parliamentary constituency in England and Wales.

Derek Twigg: Information on the number of level crossings is recorded by Network Rail zone not by parliamentary constituency. Data on the number of crossings in each zone are contained in the Health and Safety Executive's Railway Safety annual report for 2004, copies of which are in the Library of the House.

MOT Computer System

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many days the MOT computer system has worked without a technical problem occurring since its formal live date.

Stephen Ladyman: The MOT computerisation system was rolled out between 18 April 2005 and 29 March 2006. The supported service is available to garages between the hours of 6am to 10pm daily, 365 days of the year. Technical problems that have occurred have never impacted all garages and, save one recent incident, have not lasted a complete day. Supported service availability to the end of April 2006, is 99.37 per cent. (accuracy measured on a minute basis). Over the same period, the number of days without any technical problem occurring was 350 days (93 per cent.).

MOT Computer System

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) on the new MOT computer system.

Stephen Ladyman: Expenditure on the MOT computerisation programme was £24 million from the inception of the project to the commencement of roll out (18 April 2005). This includes VOSA internal project costs and payments to Siemens Business Systems. Expenditure to the completion of roll out to all testing stations is £32.1 million.

Petrol Sales

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate he has made of how many litres of petrol are purchased in a year for use in  (a) road haulage,  (b) private cars and  (c) city buses.

Stephen Ladyman: Consumption of road fuel by weight is published by the Department in Transport Statistics Great Britain (see TGSB 2005, Table 3.1 Petroleum Consumption: by transport mode and fuel type). Figures can be converted from tonnes to litres by dividing the weight of the fuel by the density of the fuel (0.000736 tonnes per litre for petrol and 0.000832 tonnes per litre for diesel). No petrol (motor spirit) is consumed by buses or heavy goods vehicles as these vehicles have diesel engines. A copy of the TGSB 2005 is available in the House Library.

Railways

David Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the rail franchise contracts that are expected to be awarded before the end of 2008.

Derek Twigg: The following franchise contracts are expected to be awarded before 1 January 2009: South Western, East Midlands, West Midland and Cross Country.

Railways

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the passenger growth on the  (a) Plymouth to Bristol,  (b) Plymouth to Birmingham,  (c) Plymouth to London and  (d) Exeter to Waterloo railway lines was in each year between 1994 and 2005.

Derek Twigg: Information for years prior to 2002 is not available in the form requested. The figures for years from 2002 onwards are as follows:
	
		
			  Year( 1)  Percentage passenger growth 
			  (a) Plymouth to Bristol  
			 2002-03 15 
			 2003-04 8 
			 2004-05 -6 
			 2005-06 7 
			   
			  (b) Plymouth to Birmingham  
			 2002-03 -7 
			 2003-04 -6 
			 2004-05 -12 
			 2005-06 1.3 
			   
			  (c) Plymouth to London  
			 2002-03 12 
			 2003-04 7 
			 2004-05 -4 
			 2005-06 3 
			   
			  (d) Exeter to Waterloo  
			 2002-03 -2 
			 2003-04 -7 
			 2004-05 4 
			 2005-06 -9 
			 (1)Rail reporting year which is April to March

Railways

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many  (a) members of departmental staff and  (b) external consultants were employed to research and write the North East regional planning assessment for the railway;
	(2)  what the total cost was of  (a) preparing and  (b) producing the North East regional planning assessment.

Derek Twigg: The preparation and writing of the draft North East regional planning assessment (RPA) was carried out by a single consultancy firm procured by the Strategic Rail Authority at a fee cost of 224,997 (including VAT). Data for the exact number of consultants employed are not available.
	A number of SRA, and subsequently Department for Transport (DfT) staff supported the development and production of the published RPA, but were not solely dedicated to this task. SRA and DfT staff costs for the RPA work alone are therefore not available. However, it is estimated that around 15 per cent. of a full-time DfT post (plus formerly 25 per cent. of a full-time SRA post) was spent supporting this work, with additional administrative support.
	The total cost to date of publication of the RPA by the Department is 6,903 (including VAT).

Regional Transport Boards

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether the meetings of each regional transport  (a) board and  (b) forum are open to the public;
	(2)  if he will list the members of each regional transport  (a) board and  (b) forum;
	(3)  to whom the regional transport board or forum is accountable in each of the English regions.

Stephen Ladyman: It is for individual regions to consider what structures to put in place to consider transport matters. The membership, meeting arrangements and accountability of these bodies are also matters for individual regions, but will generally depend on their allotted functions, which may vary; for example developing the draft regional transport strategy or preparing advice on regional funding allocations and providing a consultation mechanism for these processes.

Road Accidents

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicle accidents occurred on A roads in  (a) Hampshire and  (b) England in each year since 1990; and how many (i) fatalities and (ii) serious injuries there were as a result in each year.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of personal injury road accidents reported to the police on A roads in  (a) Hampshire (excluding the unitary authorities of Southampton, Portsmouth and Isle of Wight) and  (b) England and the resulting fatalities and serious injuries in each year from 1990 to 2004 (the latest year for which figures are available) are given in the table.
	
		
			  Accidents, fatalities and serious injuries in Hampshire (excluding unitary authorities) and England on A roads: 1990 to 2004 
			   Accidents  Fatalities  Serious injuries 
			   Hampshire  England  Hampshire  England  Hampshire  England 
			 1990 2,042 106,660 72 2,587 559 24,864 
			 1991 1,827 96,701 39 2,253 473 21,100 
			 1992 1,759 96,285 41 2,029 470 20,090 
			 1993 1,764 95,727 44 1,900 427 18,591 
			 1994 1,846 97,824 39 1,851 398 18,905 
			 1995 1,778 95,693 34 1,701 472 18,645 
			 1996 1,809 97,575 34 1,715 397 18,597 
			 1997 1,823 99,328 28 1,726 386 17,950 
			 1998 1,687 98,150 37 1,592 330 17,148 
			 1999 1,735 96,691 31 1,667 330 16,235 
			 2000 1,718 96,748 35 1,670 348 15,895 
			 2001 1,644 95,051 23 1,676 271 15,494 
			 2002 1,594 91,773 47 1,722 341 15,016 
			 2003 1,580 87,818 53 1,694 318 13,895 
			 2004 1,350 83,861 25 1,513 232 12,648

Road Accidents

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicle accidents have occurred on motorways in each year since 1990; and how many  (a) fatalities and  (b) serious injuries occurred as a result in each year.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of personal injury road accidents reported to the police on motorways in Great Britain and resulting fatalities and serious injuries in each year from 1990 to 2004 (the latest year for which figures are available) are given in the table.
	This information has been published in annual publication series Road Casualties Great Britain, which are available in the Library of the House.
	
		
			  Accidents, fatalities and serious injuries on motorways, GB: 1990 to 2004 
			   Total number of personal injury accidents on motorways  Fatalities  Injuries 
			 1990 6,687 229 1,643 
			 1991 6,289 234 1,394 
			 1992 6,630 238 1,338 
			 1993 6,863 201 1,338 
			 1994 7,225 157 1,358 
			 1995 7,392 180 1,333 
			 1996 7,787 165 1,298 
			 1997 8,678 191 1,422 
			 1998 8,861 174 1,301 
			 1999 9,118 202 1,385 
			 2000 9,394 189 1,401 
			 2001 9,128 203 1,404 
			 2002 8,942 224 1,283 
			 2003 8,746 217 1,234 
			 2004 9,072 164 1,137

Road Construction

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which  (a) local road major schemes and  (b) local public transport schemes were remitted to the regions and are now being considered for approval.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 3 May 2006
	The following schemes were remitted to the regions in December 2004 for advice on their priority for funding:
	(i) Schemes seeking Provisional Approval under the Local Transport Plan programme:
	 (a) local road major schemes
	South East Manchester Relief Road
	A1073 Spalding to Eye Improvement Scheme, Lincolnshire
	A509 Isham to Wellingborough Improvement Scheme, Northamptonshire
	A47 Earl Shilton Bypass, Leicestershire
	East Kent Access Phase 2, Kent
	Rotherwas Access Road, Herefordshire
	A41 Expressway/All Saints Way Junction Improvement, West Midlands
	A452 Chester Road Access Improvement, West Midlands
	A142 Ely Southern Bypass, Cambridgeshire
	A5225 Wigan Gateway
	A228 Colts Hill, Kent
	A31 Hickley Corner, Surrey
	A415 Marcham Bypass, Oxfordshire
	A41 Expressway/A4031 All Saints Junction Improvement, Sandwell
	A457 Dudley Road Traffic Management Stage 2
	Westbury Bypass, Wiltshire
	Beverley Integrated Transport System, East Riding of Yorkshire
	 (b) local public transport schemes
	Manchester Yellow Bus
	Rochdale Bus Station
	Altrincham Bus Station
	Aylesbury Public Transport Scheme
	Birmingham New Street Station
	Coventry Rapid Transit
	West Midlands Urban Traffic Control
	Bradford Interchange
	East Riding Beverley Integrated Transport scheme
	(ii) Schemes which had previously received Provisional Approval under the Local Transport Plan programme:
	 (a) local road major schemes
	A1056 Tyneside Northern Gateway, North Tyneside
	Darlington Eastern Transport Corridor, Darlington
	A688 Wheatley Hill to Bowburn Link Road, Durham
	Wigan Inner Relief Route
	A34 Alderley Edge and Nether Alderley Bypass, Cheshire
	Ashton Northern Bypass Stage 2, Tameside
	A57 Glossup Spur, Tameside
	Hall Lane Area Improvements, Liverpool
	Kiln Lane Link Road, Surrey
	M4 Junction 11 and Mereoak Roundabout, Reading
	A24 Ashington to Southwater, West Sussex
	A24 Horsham to Capel, West Sussex
	 (b) local public transport schemes
	Manchester JETTS Quality Bus Corridor
	Leigh-Salford-Manchester Quality Bus Corridors
	Warrington Bus Interchange
	Leeds A65 Kirkstall Road Quality Bus Corridor
	Advice submitted by the regions in January 2006 covers both the remitted schemes listed and other schemes considered for funding within Regional Funding Allocations. We will be responding to the regions' recommendations in due course.

Road Tax

Jeremy Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport at what age the Government ceases to exempt motorists with disabilities from road tax.

Stephen Ladyman: Exemption from Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is available to motorists in receipt of certain mobility allowances; the higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance (DLA) and war pensioners mobility supplement (WPMS). There is no age limit as long as the motorist is in receipt of a qualifying allowance.

Subsidies

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the subsidies paid to each  (a) passenger transport authority and  (b) other county council and transport authority area in each of the past ten years.

Gillian Merron: The largest subsidy is the Revenue Support Grant, which is provided to all local authorities to assist in their delivery of services. Services supported by this grant include, for example, procurement of public transport services and routine maintenance of highways. As RSG is provided as a 'single pot' it is not possible to identify the amount used by each passenger transport authority or local transport authority specifically on transport.
	Local transport authorities receive subsidy for capital investment through supported capital in the local transport settlement for integrated transport and highways maintenance, and through direct grant in respect of major schemes. A table has been placed in the Libraries of the House showing the total allocations. Most authorities have also received Rural Bus Subsidy Grant since 1998, which is shown in the second table that has also been placed in the Libraries of the House.
	Smaller subsidies to local authorities include the Rural and Urban Bus Challenge Grant and Kickstart. Information on these grants is available in the Library of the House. Information on rail grants is contained in the strategic rail authority's annual reports.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Christmas Day Trading Act

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the operation of the Christmas Day Trading Act 2004; and what recent representations he has received about the operation of this Act.

Ian McCartney: The public consultation during 2003 showed 97 per cent of respondents in favour of maintaining the special nature of Christmas Day. The Department has received no representations about the operation of the Act and we have no plans to revisit this issue.

Corruption (Kenya)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment he has made of whether British companies have been involved in corruption in Kenya.

Ian McCartney: The UK takes a firm stand on combating corruption in international trade. The Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 includes provisions on bribery and corruption. The UK also ratified the UN Convention against Corruption in February 2006. There have so far been no cases brought to our attention under the legislation alleging that UK companies have been involved in corrupt practices in Kenya.

Developed Countries (UK Trade)

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the UK's international trade with developed countries.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 8 May 2006
	The Government's approach to international trade is set out in the 2004 trade and investment White Paper: Making globalisation a force for the good. We are committed to a global trading system that is fair as well as free. The UK's trade (imports and exports) in goods and services with OECD countries totals around 490 billion.

Domestic Dog and Cat Fur

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department has taken since his written ministerial statement of27 January 2005,  Official Report, columns 33-4WS, on domestic dog and cat fur (alleged imports), to investigate the alleged import of domestic cat and dog fur into the UK.

Ian McCartney: The Government have sought to establish the facts about the extent of the alleged trade in domestic cat and dog fur in the UK. We have found no evidence that such fur is being imported into this country in significant volumes. The Government have also been working to establish a scientific test to make it possible to ascertain reliably from what species of animal any given fur sample has come.
	We firmly believe that action on this issue should and would best be taken at EU level as a harmonised approach would have greater impact, enhance animal-welfare standards within the EU itself and avoid obstacles to the operation of the single market. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs supported calls for the European Commission to investigate these allegations when the Agriculture and Fisheries Council met in May 2005.
	In January 2006, the Commission published its Action Plan on the Protection and Welfare of Animals, which proposes action in the course of 2006 to address public concerns on the trading of cat and dog fur and derived products. On 20 February, Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner Kyprianou stated at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council that the Commission was planning to publish a proposal on the import of cat and dog fur within the next few months.

Energy Imports

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost of UK energy imports of  (a) gas,  (b) oil and  (c) electricity was in each of the last five years.

Malcolm Wicks: Energy value balances produced by the DTI show the following values for imported gas, oil, and electricity. Further information on the methodology used to produce the value balances is contained in Chapter 1 of the Digest of UK Energy Statistics, copies of which are available in the House Library or on the DTI website at: http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/filel9257.pdf.
	
		
			   million 
			  Commodity  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005( 1) 
			 Gas 185 260 135 670 1,740 
			 Crude oil 6,235 6,425 6,495 8,615 11,565 
			 Electricity 180 190 170 345 440 
			 (1 )Data for 2005 are provisional

EU Manufacturing

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the extent to which export subsidies are given by EU member state governments to support their domestic manufacturing industry.

Ian McCartney: Direct export subsidies are illegal under the state aid rules which apply under the treaty of Rome. These rules are enforced by the European Commission and reports on the action it takes against member states who breach them are published onits website at: http://europa.eu.int/coinm/competition/state_aid/scoreboard/

EU Manufacturing

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the Government plan to challenge export subsidies given to manufacturers by other EU member state governments; and if he will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: Direct export subsidies are always illegal. Only the European Commission can take action against illegal subsidies. If the Government had any evidence of such subsidies we would bring this to the attention of the Commission at once. It also open to any UK company in possession of such evidence to complain direct to the Commission.
	Guidance on how to complain to the Commission can be found at http://europa.eu.int/comm/secretariat_general/sgb/droit_com/index_en.htm#aides

Hotelware (Tariffs)

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on negotiations between the European Commission and the United States authorities regarding tariffs applied to hotelware.

Ian McCartney: Negotiations between the European Commission and the US authorities on tariffs applied to hotel ware form part of the Doha development agenda negotiations on non-agricultural market access.

Italian Subsidies

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information he has received on subsidies available in Italy.

Ian McCartney: The Department's main source of information on state aid granted in all member states including Italy is the European Commission's twice yearly scoreboard for global information on state aid granted in other member states: http:/Veuropa.eu.int/coinni/competition/state_aid/scoreboaiW2005/autuinn_en.pdf
	Information on aid schemes and individual aids in all member states which have been notified to and approved by the European Commission can also be found on the Commission's website:
	http://europa.eu.int/conini/competition/stateaid/register/

Ministerial Visits (Accommodation)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on how many occasions Ministers of State in his Department stayed overnight in  (a) five star,  (b) four star and  (c) three star hotels on foreign visits in each of the last three years.

Alistair Darling: This information is not readily available and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
	However, under the terms of the ministerial code and travel by Ministers, when travelling on official business, Ministers are expected to make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements.

Post Office Card Account

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much interest has accrued from balances kept on Post Office card accounts since its inception; to which organisation these balances accrue; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Any interest accrued from balances on Post Office card accounts is shared between Post Office Ltd. and its suppliers of the card accounts. This sum helps to offset some of the costs of operating the card account. Details of the amount of interest that accrues is commercially confidential.

Sakhalin II Project

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions Shell has had with his Department on the Sakhalin II oil and gas project.

Ian McCartney: DTI and UK Trade and Investment (and the latter's predecessor, Trade Partners UK) have had a number of meetings with Shell at which Sakhalin II has been discussed. However, most of the meetings relating to Sakhalin II since May 2001 have taken place in the context of the Export Credits Guarantee Department's (ECGD) due diligence and have been with Sakhalin Energy Investment Company (SEIC), in which Shell Sakhalin Holdings B.V. is the major shareholder, rather than with Shell itself.

Sakhalin II Project

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what criteria the Export Credits Guarantee Department use when assessing whether to support the Sakhalin II oil and gas project.

Ian McCartney: The Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) has published its Case Impact Analysis Process, which sets out the criteria that it uses to assess the environmental and social impacts of projects. This can be found on its website at www.ecgd.gov.uk/ecgd_case_impact_analysis_ process_ may2004.doc.
	In addition to the environmental and social impacts, in assessing the Sakhalin II project ECGD will need to consider the financial, commercial and legal aspects of the project.

Statutory Instruments

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the operation of Statutory Instrument number  (a) 2001/2673,  (b) 2001/2660,  (c) 2001/4010,  (d) 2002/3128,  (e) 2003/3319 and  (f) 2003/1656.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government are proud of their record on employment regulation. This has given the UK a skilled and flexible work force. We have given people decent rights at work without jeopardising their prospects for employment. Both employers and employees have rights and responsibilities towards each other and we strive to find the right balance and consult closely on all our regulations.
	The Regulations behind the above statutory instruments are as follows:
	 SI 2001/2673
	The Regulations behind Statutory Instrument 2001/2673 amended the National Minimum Wage Regulations 1999 and came into force on 1 October 2001. They increased the adult minimum wage rate from 3.70 to 4.10 an hour and the rate for workers aged 18-21 (inclusive) from 3.20 to 3.50 an hour. They also made a number of other amendments relating to the level of the accommodation offset and workers taking part in accredited training. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs is responsible for enforcing compliance with the national minimum wage legislation.
	 SI 2001/2660
	SI 2001/2660 introduced two technical changes to the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 to implement the Burden of Proof Directive97/80/ECthe aim of which was to ensure that victims of sex discrimination are provided with effective access to justice, and in doing so promote equal treatment. This Directive applied to the employment field only. These regulations are enforceable through the Employment Tribunal system.
	 SI 2001/4010
	SI 2001/4010 extended parental leave entitlement for parents of disabled children under 18 from 13 weeks' parental leave to 18 weeks' leave which can be taken up to their child's 18(th) birthday. SI 2001/4010 also extended the right to parental leave to parents of children under 5 on 15 December 1999. These parents were able to take their parental leave until 31 March 2001. SI 1999/3312, which SI 2001/4010 amended, is enforceable through the employment tribunals system.
	 SI 2002/3128
	SI 2002/3128 introduced measures to protect young workers and provide fair minimum standards which ensure that young people are protected from excess working time leading to fatigue, risks to health and safety and possible damage to their education. These Regulations are enforceable and I have not been made aware of any difficulties with their operation.
	 SI 2003/3319
	The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 (Statutory Instruments 2003/3319) govern the private recruitment industry in the UK and seek to protect those using the job-finding services provided by employment agencies. It is enforced by the DTIs Employment Agency Standards (EAS) Inspectorate. The Inspectorate can prosecute an agency found to be in breach of the legislation and can also apply for a Prohibition Order preventing an individual from operating as an agency or employment business for up to 10 years. The EAS has a helpline; the number is 0845 955 5105.
	 SI 2003/1656
	SI 2003/1656 amended the Equal Pay Act 1970 in three respects to reflect requirements of European Community law, specifically Article 141 of the Treaty of Rome (equal pay), as applied in a number of recent cases before the European Court of Justice and the domestic courts. It extended the previous two-year limit on the period over which an employment tribunal could award back pay in successful equal pay cases, extended the six-month time limit within which a woman must bring an equal pay claim before an employment tribunal in specific, limited cases, and introduced a new rule that enables equal pay claims to be brought during the period of a stable employment relationship or within six months of it ending. These Regulations are enforceable through the Employment Tribunal system.

TREASURY

Planning Gain Supplement

Neil Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on progress in implementing the planning gain supplement.

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to bring forward proposals on the planning gain supplement.

John Healey: As set out in the 2006 Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report, the Government will make further announcements on PGS implementation by the end of the year.
	The Government received approximately 800 responses to their consultation on PGS and are considering views carefully and continuing to engage with stakeholders.

Economic Growth

David Borrow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on economic growth in the first quarter of 2006.

Edward Balls: On the basis of latest estimate, UK GDP grew by 0.6 per cent. in the first quarter of 2006 and stood 2.25 per cent. higher than in the first quarter of 2005, fully consistent with the Budget forecast. This represents the 55th consecutive quarter of uninterrupted economic growth, maintaining the longest expansion on record and is clear testament of the success of this Government's macroeconomic policies.

Inflation

John Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the level of inflation is in the UK, the EU and the USA; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: At present, the rate of CPI inflation in the UK is 1.8 per cent.; close to target despite recent rises in oil prices. This is below the current rate of CPI inflation in the United States of 3.4 per cent., and below the rate of more than 2 per cent. in both the euro area and the EU as a whole.

Drug Misuse

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what criteria he will use to determine the level of public expenditure for combating drug abuse in the forthcoming spending review.

Stephen Timms: Tackling drugs remains one of the Government's highest priorities, and that priority will be reflected in the forthcoming spending review. We will ensure that spending continues to contribute to improving health and reducing crime.

Working Tax Credit

Mary Creagh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people claimed working tax credit in  (a) Wakefield and  (b) West Yorkshire in the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: In April 2006, there were 33,000 in-work families with child or working tax credit awards in the local authority of Wakefield, and 9,300 in the constituency of Wakefield. There were 204,500 thousand in-work families with child or working tax credit awards in the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire.

Climate Change

Nia Griffith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the role of taxation policy in combating climate change.

John Healey: The Government set out their framework for using the tax system to meet their environmental objectives in their Statement of Intent on Environmental Taxation in 1997. This principled framework was developed further in the Treasury 2002 publication Tax and the Environment.
	Alongside other policy instruments, tax measures have been a significant part of the UK's Climate Change Programme that was launched in 2000. For instance, the climate change levy package has delivered over 28 million tonnes of carbon emissions savings so far.

Energy and Environmental Research Institute

Jamie Reed: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on public funding for the energy and environmental research institute which he announced in his Budget.

John Healey: The new National Institute for Energy Technologies will be a 50:50 public-private partnership. The intention is that the private sector investment would be matched (up to a pre-determined limit) by public science and technology investment.

Pensions

Rob Marris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of tax relief on pension contributions on levels of savings in occupational pension schemes.

Edward Balls: Tax relief on pension contributions is just one of the range of fiscal incentives designed to encourage both workers and their employers to save for retirement via an occupational pension scheme. The current annual net cost of the tax treatment of approved pensions is approximately 12 billion.

Inflation Report

Sally Keeble: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the implications for economic growth of the Bank of England's latest inflation report; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: The Bank of England's latest Inflation Report forecasts suggest somewhat stronger growth over the next two years than the independent consensus.

Business Rate (Civic Penalties)

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many civic penalties have been issued for failure to provide information to the Valuation Office Agency for business rates valuations since they were introduced; what average penalty has been levied; and what the estimated aggregate revenue from the penalties has been.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	809 civil penalty notices have been issued for failure to provide information requested for non-domestic rating purposes. The average penalty levied is 220, and the total amount collected since the powers were introduced is 178,350. All monies are paid into the Consolidated Fund. They are neither retained by nor accessible to the Valuation Office Agency.

Business Rate (Civic Penalties)

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what means an individual can appeal against the imposition of a civic penalty for failure to provide information to the Valuation Office Agency for business rates valuations.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	An individual can appeal to the local valuation tribunal if aggrieved by the imposition of a penalty for failure to provide rental information requested by a valuation officer. The appeal needs to be made within 28 days of the penalty notice being served. The tribunal can mitigate or remit any penalty on the grounds that the appellant had a reasonable excuse for non-compliance and/or that the information is not in the possession or control of the appellant.

Cancer

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the death rate for cancer was in  (a) males and (b) females under 75 years of age in each year since 1976.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 11 May 2006:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the death rate for cancer was in (a) males and (b) females under 75 years of age in each year since 1976. (68832)
	The most recent year for which figures are available is 2004. The attached table shows the age-standardised death rate from cancer, for males and females aged under 75 years in England and Wales for the years 1976 to 2004. Although coding changes within this period mean that figures are not completely comparable between 1976 and 2004, nevertheless a strong overall downward trend can be seen in cancer mortality across these years.
	
		
			  Death rates( 1)  from cancer( 2) , for males and females aged under 75( 3) , England and Wales, 1976 to 2004( 4) 
			  Deaths per 100,000 population 
			   Males  Females 
			 1976 200.9 137.1 
			 1977 196.8 135.6 
			 1978 197.6 136.4 
			 1979 195.8 137.5 
			 1980 193.6 137.6 
			 1981 190.9 137.5 
			 1982 188.1 137.8 
			 1983 191.2 137.7 
			 1984 192.2 141.3 
			 1985 188.6 140.8 
			 1986 185.6 139.5 
			 1987 183.8 139.9 
			 1988 185.4 140.2 
			 1989 182.4 139.1 
			 1990 179.9 136.8 
			 1991 178.2 135.3 
			 1992 176.3 133.7 
			 1993 170.8 131.2 
			 1994 167.6 128.8 
			 1995 164.1 126.9 
			 1996 160.3 123.7 
			 1997 154.2 121.3 
			 1998 153.8 119.3 
			 1999 148.0 116.8 
			 2000 143.6 114.7 
			 2001 141.7 113.0 
			 2002 140.7 111.4 
			 2003 136.9 108.5 
			 2004 133.0 107.3 
			 (1) Rate per 100,000 population standardised to the European Standard Population.  (2) Selected using the International Classification of Diseases, Eighth Revision (ICD-8) codes 140-207 for the years 1976 to 1978, Ninth Revision (1CD-9) codes 140-208 for the years 1979 to 2000, and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes C00-C97 for 2001 onwards. Between 1984 and 1992 a different interpretation ofICD-9 selection rule 3 was used to code underlying cause of death in England and Wales to that used internationally. This change means that comparisons between this period and years before and after, should be interpreted with caution. The impact of the change on mortality statistics was analysed and reported in annual mortality publications in 1984 and 1994*. The introduction of ICD-10 for coding cause of death in 2001 also means that figures are not completely comparable with data for years before this date. Comparisons between the data before and after 2001 should therefore also be interpreted with caution. An article specifically examining the effect of the change in classification for cancer trends was published in Health Statistics Quarterly 23**. More information about these changes, as well as the results of the study, can be found on the National Statistics website at www. statistics.gov.uk/icd10mortality  (3) Aged 0 to 74 years, excluding babies aged under 28 days from 1986 onwards.  (4) Figures are for registrations of death in each calendar year from 1976 to 1992 and for occurrences of death in each calendar year from 1993 onwards. * Mortality statistics: Cause 1984. DH2 No. 11, pg viii-ix. Mortality statistics: Cause 1993 (revised) and 1994. DH2 No. 21, pg xxv-xxxiii. ** Brock A, Griffiths C, Rooney C (2004) The effect of the introduction of ICD-10 on cancer mortality trends in England and Wales. Health Statistics Quarterly 23, 7-17.

Cash Machines

Ben Chapman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with banks on fee-charging cash machines; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: On 4 May 2006, the former Economic Secretary to the Treasury convened a meeting of representative stakeholders, including banks, independent ATM providers and consumer groups, to address ATM charging. The discussion was open and extremely constructive. With the agreement of industry and consumer bodies present, my predecessor invited John McFall MP to chair a working group to take forward work on the key issues. This group will report back to me within a specific time-frame.

Census Records

Mike Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many communications have been received by  (a) his Department and  (b) the Office for National Statistics from hon. Members since 1 January 2005 on the failure of the Registrar General to transfer decennial census records for England and Wales to the National Archives not later than 30 years after their creation in accordance with the Public Records Act 1958 s.3(4).

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 11 May 2006:
	As National Statistician and Registrar General I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many communications have been received by (a) the Treasury and (b) the Office for National Statistics from hon. Members since 1st January 2005, on the failure of the Registrar General to transfer decennial census records for England and Wales to the National Archives not later than 30 years after their creation in accordance with the Public Records Act 1958 s.3(4). 66496
	There has been just one communication in total from Members of Parliament since 1 January 2005 concerning the transfer of census records but this related to the 1981 and 1991 Censuses which are, of course, not yet 30 years old.
	I should clarify that in accordance with Section 3(4) of the Public Records Act I have obtained approval for retention of decennial census records which are over 30 years old. Lord Chancellor's Retention Instrument number 81 approves retention of the 1921 and 1951 censuses and the Lord Chancellor's Retention Instrument number 63 approves retention of the 1961 and 1971 censuses. There are no surviving decennial population census records for 1931 and no census was taken in 1941.

Charges (Bank/Credit Card)

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to limit punitive charges that can be levied when  (a) a bank account goes overdrawn and  (b) a credit card limit is breached.

Edward Balls: The Office of Fair Trading has been investigating the question of credit card default charges. In April it produced a statement of the principles they think card issuers should follow in setting default charges in their standard contracts with consumers in order to meet the test of fairness set out in the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999.
	The OFT has made it clear that it expects all credit card issuers to recalculate their default charges in line with the principles set out in the statement and to take action where needed to reduce the level of credit card default fees. The OFT also noted that the principles also apply to default charges in other consumer contracts such as those for bank overdrafts, store cards and mortgages.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what opportunities exist for people to work beyond retirement age in his Department.

John Healey: The Treasury looks sympathetically at requests from its employees to work beyond its current retirement age of 60. The Department's retirement age policy is currently under review to take account of the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of the staff in his Department is  (a) male,  (b) female and  (c) disabled, broken down by grade.

John Healey: 56.3 per cent. of the staff of the Treasury are male. The breakdown by grade is as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 Range A 0.5 
			 Range B 6.6 
			 Range C 9.8 
			 Range D 34.1 
			 Range E 34.1 
			 SCS 11.4 
			 Special Advisers 1.1 
			 Students 2.5 
		
	
	The grade breakdown of the 43.7 per cent. of staff who are female is as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 Range A 1.2 
			 Range B 18.6 
			 Range C 15.2 
			 Range D 307 
			 Range E 23.8 
			 SCS 8.6 
			 Special Advisers 0.4 
			 Students 1.4 
		
	
	3.5 per cent. of Treasury staff have declared themselves as having a disability. The grade breakdown is as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 Range A 44.4 
			 Range B 6.0 
			 Range C 5.1 
			 Range D 2.4 
			 Range E 2.4 
			 SCS 1.7 
			 Special Advisers 0.0 
			 Students 0.0

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of his private office staff is  (a) male,  (b) female and  (c) disabled.

John Healey: 76.9 per cent. of the staff of the Chancellor's Office are male and 23,1 per cent. are female. None of the staff concerned have declared themselves as being disabled.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total cost was of  (a) staff away-days and  (b) staff team building exercises in his Department in each of the last three years.

John Healey: The total cost recorded for staff away-days and team building exercises in 2005-06 is 54,000. Costs for earlier years could be disaggregated only at disproportionate cost.

Staff Vetting

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) EU foreign nationals and  (b) non-EU foreign nationals have been employed in his Department in each of the last five years; what vetting procedures are in place for each category of staff; and whether these include liaison with foreign law enforcement agencies.

John Healey: The information requested in respect of the Treasury is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   EU nationals  Non-EU nationals 
			 2001 11 12 
			 2002 6 14 
			 2003 12 22 
			 2004 9 12 
			 2005 12 18 
		
	
	All staff working in the Treasury are required to undergo national security vetting. The level of vetting that is appropriate will depend on the particular post that they are going to fill. Where necessary, the vetting process will include a check of time spent overseas.

Doncaster, North (Statistics)

Edward Miliband: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people resident in Doncaster, North were employed in transport services in  (a) 1984,  (b) 1994 and  (c) 2004.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 11 May 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about employment in the transport service. (68407)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of employment for local areas from the annual local area Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation definitions.
	It is estimated that 1,000 people, resident in the Doncaster North Parliamentary Constituency, were employed in transport services (1992 Standard Industrial Classification classes 60 - land transport, 61 - water transport and 62 - air transport) for the 12 months ending December 2004 from the APS. LFS industry class data for parliamentary constituencies are only available from the 12 month period ending February 1999.
	The estimate, as with any from sample surveys, is subject to a margin of uncertainty.

Economic Inactivity

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the rates of economic inactivity were for people of working age in each  (a) region,  (b) country in the UK and  (c) parliamentary constituency in Tyne and Wear in each year from 1995 to 2005.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 11 May 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary question about economic inactivity. (69578)
	The Office for National Statistics compiles statistics of economic inactivity for local areas from the annual population survey following international labour organisation definitions.
	Table 1, attached shows the economic inactivity rates for persons of working age (males aged 16 to 64 and females aged 16 to 59) for each region and country of the UK for the 12 month period ending December 2004. Table 2, attached, shows the equivalent rates for each parliamentary constituency in Tyne and Wear
	These estimates, as with any from sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Table 1: Working age economic inactivity rates for each region and country of the UK; January 2004 to December 2004. 
			   Percentage 
			  Region and country  Economic inactivity rates for persons of working age 
			 North East 25.6 
			 North West 23.8 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 22.5 
			 East Midlands 21.2 
			 West Midlands 22.5 
			 Eastern 18.3 
			 London 25.5 
			 South East 18.0 
			 South West 19.4 
			 England 21.7 
			 Wales 25.1 
			 Scotland 21.0 
			 Northern Ireland 28.5 
			 United Kingdom 22.0 
			  Note: Estimates are subject to sampling variability.  Source: Annual population survey. Working age is males aged 16 to 64 and females aged 16 to 59.. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Working age economic inactivity rates for each Parliamentary Constituency in Tyne and Wear; January 2004 to December 2004 
			   Percentage 
			  Parliamentary constituency  Economic inactivity rates for persons of working age 
			 Blaydon 22.6 
			 Gateshead East  Washington West 18.9 
			 Houghton  Washington East 24.5 
			 Jarrow 26.8 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne Central 30.9 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne East  Wallsend 26.5 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne North 21.8 
			 North Tyneside 19.0 
			 South Shields 30.0 
			 Sunderland North 30.9 
			 Sunderland South 30.0 
			 Tyne Bridge 32.3 
			 Tynemouth 23.5 
			  Note:  Estimates are subject to sampling variability   Source:  Annual Population Survey. Working age is males aged 16 to 64 and females aged 16 to 59.

Energy Efficiency (Scotland)

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what proportion of the funding he announced in the Budget for local authorities and energy companies to work together for energy efficiency will be allocated to Scotland;
	(2)  whether the additional funds announced in his budget to help local authorities and others to work in partnership with energy companies to promote and incentivise energy efficiency measures for households apply to Scotland;
	(3)  what discussions he has had with the Scottish Executive on the allocation of funds from the additional 20 million announced in his Budget for energy efficiency measures.

Stephen Timms: The Scottish Executive received additional funding totalling 87 million as a consequence of additional funding for Government Departments in the March 2006 Budget. The allocation of these funds to specific services is a matter for the Scottish Executive.
	Treasury Ministers and Scottish Ministers are in regular contact on matters of common interest.

Infant Mortality

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the 10 areas with the  (a) highest and  (b) lowest rates of infant mortality; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 11 May 2006:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the 10 areas with the (a) highest and (b) lowest rates of infant mortality. (69334)
	The attached table gives infant mortality rates for the aggregate period 2002-2004, for the 10 primary care organisation (PCO) areas in England with the highest rates of infant mortality and the 10 PCO areas with the lowest rates of infant mortality.
	
		
			  Infant mortality rates( 1)  for the 10 primary care organisation (PCO) areas( 2)  in England with the highest rates of infant mortality and the 10 PCO areas with the lowest rates of infant mortality, 2002-04 
			  10 PCO areas with the highest infant mortality rates (IMR)  IMR  Number of infant deaths 
			 Heart of Birmingham Teaching 12.4 218 
			 North Kirklees 11.1 85 
			 Bradford City Teaching 10.4 94 
			 South Stoke 9.9 45 
			 Eastern Birmingham 9.1 89 
			 North Bradford 9.0 29 
			 Doncaster Central 8.8 23 
			 North Stoke 8.8 41 
			 Central Manchester 8.6 62 
			 Preston 8.5 45 
			
			  10 PCO areas with the lowest infant mortality rates (IMR)   
			 Central Suffolk 1.4 4 
			 East Elmbridge and Mid Surrey 1.5 13 
			 East Devon 1.8 5 
			 North East Oxfordshire 2.1 6 
			 Teignbridge 2.1 6 
			 Chiltern and South Bucks 2.2 11 
			 South Somerset 2.2 10 
			 Mid-Hampshire 2.4 13 
			 Royston, Buntingford and Bishop's Stortford 2.4 6 
			 Hertsmere 2.4 8 
			 (1) Deaths at ages under one year per 1000 live births.  (2) For comparability, PCO boundaries at November 2005 are used for all years.  (3) Where rates are calculated from fewer than 20 deaths, the reliability of the measure may be affected by the small number of events

Parliamentary Questions

Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will provide a substantive response to question 63954, tabled by the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight on 30 March on tax credits.

Dawn Primarolo: I have already done so.

Pregnancy Rates

Iris Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the pregnancies rates for  (a) 15 to 16 and  (b) 13 to 14 year olds were in the last period for which figures are available.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 11 May 2006:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the pregnancy rates for  (a) 15 to 16 and  (b) 13 to 14 year olds were in the last period for which figures are available. (69661)
	The most recent year for which conception statistics are available is 2004 and figures for this year are provisional.
	Number of conceptions to girls aged under 14 by single year of age are not published by ONS to protect the confidentiality of individual's information due to small number of events at younger ages. It is therefore not possible to provide conception rate for girls aged 13-14; we can instead provide information for all aged under 14 combined.
	Conception figures for women aged under 14, 14 and 15 to 16 for England and Wales are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Conceptions at ages under 14, 14 and 15-16, England and Wales, 2004 
			  Age  Number  Rate( 1) 
			 Under 14 341 1.0 
			 14 1,751 5.2 
			 15-16 19,137 28.3 
			 (1) Rates for women aged under 14, 14 and 15-16 are based on the female population of women aged 13, 14 and 15-16 respectively.

Public Expenditure

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update Table 8.17 of the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2005 to show  (a) current and  (b) capital expenditure for each year from 1999-2000 to 2005-06.

Stephen Timms: We do not have any plans to modify Table 8.17 of the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA) 2005 to show current and capital expenditure or for the table to cover a run of years. Updated estimates of expenditure analysed by country and region, including an update of Table 8.17 to cover 2004-05, will be published in PESA 2006 (Cm8511), on 15 May 2006.

Stamp Duty

James Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what projections he has made for the revenue from stamp duty on  (a) property and  (b) share transactions in each of the next three financial years.

Edward Balls: Projected revenues for total stamp taxes in 2006-07 were published in Table C8 of the Budget 2006 report. The breakdown between stamp taxes on land and property and stamp taxes on shares is as follows:
	
		
			   billion 
			  Taxes  2006-07 
			 Stamp taxes on land and property transactions 8.1 
			 Stamp taxes on share transactions 4.0 
			 Total stamp taxes 12.2 
		
	
	Projections of total stamp taxes are only shown in the Budget 2006 report up to 2006-07 and this is therefore the last year for which forecast receipts are currently given in replies to parliamentary questions.

Tax Credits

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made in response to the ombudsman's recommendation of an independent right of appeal on decisions to recover tax credit overpayments; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC are exploring with the adjudicator whether her office could provide an independent review of disputed overpayment decisions.

Tax Credits

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to prevent abuse of the new 25,000 income disregard rule in tax credit assessments.

Dawn Primarolo: The tax credit regulations already contain anti-avoidance provisions which HMRC would seek to deploy in the event of an attempted abuse of this kind.

Tax Credits

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many additional staff have been brought in to the tax credit call centres to deal with the current annual declarations.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC keep the demand and service levels of the Tax Credit Helpline under constant review and have the flexibility to adjust resources as and when needed.

Trade Statistics

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the UK's balance of trade was with  (a) the USA,  (b) China,  (c) India,  (d) Japan,  (e) the remainder of South East Asia and  (f) South America in each of the last eight years; and what assessment he has made of the trends over this period.

Edward Balls: The Office for National Statistics publishes trade in goods and services data by country in their annual Pink Book publication (http://www.statistics.gov.uk /StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=1140Pos=1ColRank=1 Rank=272). Trends in the UK's trade with the rest of the world vary significantly across regions. For example, the UK runs a substantial trade surplus with the United States, while it is currently running a trade deficit with the majority of south-east Asian and south American economies.
	These trends are likely to partly reflect broader global trends, with emerging economies accounting for an increasing share of global output, trade and investment. These changes have significant implications for the world's advanced economies, bringing with them new challenges and opportunities.

Unemployment

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the level of unemployment in the West Midlands in 2004-05.

Edward Balls: In 2004-05, claimant unemployment in the West Midlands reached a record low, and was 243,000 lower than its peak in March 1986.
	Between May 1997 and March 2006, claimant unemployment in the West Midlands has fallen by 40,000 (27.1 per cent.) and the rate is now 5.2 per cent.

Vehicle Excise Duty Forms

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps were taken following the changes announced in the Budget to ensure that correct renewal information was included on vehicle excise duty renewal forms despatched in April for renewal in May.

Stephen Ladyman: I have been asked to reply.
	The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) issues around 3 million V11s every month. This volume means that they are printed up to eight weeks in advance and are timed to arrive with the registered keeper of a vehicle about three weeks before the licence is due for renewal. Because the forms have to be printed so far in advance it was not possible to print the post budget rates of vehicle excise duty (VED) on most forms for May dates of liability. The rates of duty shown were correct at the time of printing.
	When the date of the next Budget is known, DVLA will ensure that the warning message will be placed on all reminders that may show out of date rates of VED to prevent confusion arising in the future.

Electoral Roll

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what was the size of the total electorate for the  (a) Vale of Clwyd and  (b) Denbighshire in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  what the  (a) size of the electorate and  (b) registration rate was in each local authority in (i) England, (ii) Wales, (iii) Scotland and (iv) Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 11 May 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions regarding (1) the size of the electorate and the registration rate in each local authority in (i) England, (ii) Wales, (iii) Scotland and (iv) Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years; (2) the percentage of those eligible to vote who were registered to vote in each local authority in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years and (3) the total electorate for (a) the Vale of Clwyd and (b) Denbighshire in each of the last 10 years. (68582, 64195 and 65905)
	Firstly, please allow me to explain why it has taken a little while to reply to your questions. I understand from the House of Commons Library that you are most interested in Parliamentary electorate by local authority. This is not a standard output so it has taken some time to collate the data and ensure it is on an equivalent basis. This is further complicated by different data being available for England  Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Electoral data are held locally by the General Register Office for Scotland (GROS), the Electoral Office Northern Ireland (EONI) and for England  Wales the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Regarding the question on total electorate for Denbighshire and the Vale of Clwyd, we do not normally publish data on total electorate (rather we publish local/European electorate and separately Parliamentary electorate data). For years up to and including 2001, data are not held electronically in a form that enables us to calculate 'total electorate'. Therefore, in order to obtain the data you requested we have referred to the annual paper returns from Denbighshire to collate the necessary data.
	Historical UK Electorate by LA
	Electoral data are available on the number of people registered to vote in Parliamentary elections and also on the number of people registered to vote in local/European elections. Annual population data are only available on a usual residence basis: the mid-year population estimates. Since population data are available by age, the mid-year population aged 18 and over can be calculated. Thus it is possible to calculate an estimate of the 'registration rate' using the percentage of the usually resident population, aged 18 and over who are registered to vote as either Parliamentary or local/European electors).
	It is not possible to 'split' estimates of the usual resident population in order to give estimates of the population entitled to vote. We do not hold data (e.g. populations of non-EU citizens) that enable us to produce such a 'split'.
	The attached tables (one for each year), therefore, provide information, for each local authority in the UK, on (i) the annual 'usual resident' mid-year population; (ii) the size of the (a) Parliamentary electorate and (b) local/European electorate; and (iii) the percentage of the estimated usually resident population aged 18 and over who are registered to vote as (a) Parliamentary electors and (b) local/European electors. These are labelled as 'registration rates' on the tables and this term is used in the remainder of this reply. These data provide the closest available approximation to the information you requested. It is not possible to calculate the percentage of the eligible population who are registered to vote: the resident population aged 18 and over is not the same as the number of people eligible to vote.
	This 'registration rate' is not a published National Statistic: there are a number of issues that mean care needs to be taken when interpreting the data. In particular care needs to be taken when considering local authorities where the usually resident population differs radically from the population eligible to vote. An example of such a local authority is Forest Heath. There are a large number of United States Air Force personnel, contractors, and dependants in Forest Heath who, as American citizens, are not eligible to vote. These people are however included in the population estimates as they are usually resident. Therefore, the estimated 'registration rate' calculated for Forest Heath is considerably reduced. However, the Office for National Statistics (ONS), in order to aid comparisons of the resident population of voting age and the number of people who are registered to vote, does calculate 'registration rates' on occasion in the manner outlined above.
	The attached tables give comparisons between the number of registered electors and annual mid-year population for the ten years up to mid-2004 (the latest available population estimates for the UK) for all local authorities in the UK. Each table shows a comparison against Parliamentary electorate (where available) and against local/European electorate. The availability of Parliamentary electorate by LA differs by country as this is a non-standard output. Data availability also differs from year to year. Recent improvements to the way the data are held for England and Wales mean these data can now be calculated for more recent years. For England and Wales data on Parliamentary electorate by LA, for years prior to 2002, could only be calculated by reference to individual paper LA annual returns and would involve disproportionate cost. For Scotland, 2004 data on Parliamentary electors by LA will be available shortly and we will provide you with an update of these tables when they become available. For Northern Ireland data on Parliamentary electors by LA are not currently available.
	In order to give an estimate of the number of electors at the mid-year point, 30 June, a weighted average is taken of the two closest sets of electoral data. This gives the best possible comparison with the population estimates. Footnotes to the tables indicate the formulae used to calculate these weighted comparisons.
	Attainers have been excluded from the electorate data to give the best possible comparison. Therefore, the data may differ to that published elsewhere.
	We have also updated the data where there are known (small) errors in or updates to previously published data. This means that the attached data provide the best possible comparison.
	The local/European electorate gives a better comparison than parliamentary electorate to the usually resident population as EU citizens are included and UK citizens resident abroad are excluded from the local/European electorate. However, a number of other difficulties remain when comparing these sources. For example not everyone who is usually resident is entitled to vote (foreign citizens from outside of the EU and Commonwealth, prisoners, etc. are not eligible) and people who have more than one address may register in more than one place (e.g. students may register at parental and term-time addresses). These factors may have a differential impact from place to place.
	There is also inevitably some double counting of the registered electorate (both parliamentary and local/European) as electoral registration officers vary in how quickly they remove people from the registers after they have moved away from an area or after they have died. This is the main reason some areas show apparent rates in excess of one hundred per cent.
	In order to aid comparison two further tables are attached that show the estimated 'registration rates' for all ten years. Table A shows these rates for Parliamentary electors and Table B for local/European electors. However, any comparison of these data across years should be made carefully as electoral legislation and other changes (such as EU expansion) can change the size of the electorate.
	A copy of the tables will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
	The tables provide as comprehensive as possible comparisons between historic local authority population and electorate numbers. I understand from the House of Commons Library that you are also interested in the percentage of residents who are registered to vote on a Parliamentary constituency basis. Official Report number 82 column 1719, 12 December 2005, provides the best possible consistent UK comparison for Parliamentary constituencies. For England and Wales we hope to investigate the possibility of producing population estimates by Parliamentary constituency in the future using Small Area Population Estimates. For Northern Ireland, population estimates by Parliamentary constituency are already available from the Northern Ireland Statistical and Research Agency (NISRA). You may also be interested in the Electoral Commission study Understanding electoral registration: http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/templates/search/document.cfm/13545.
	Total Electorate for Denbighshire and Vale of Clwyd
	The table below provides the requested 'total electorate' information for Denbighshire and the Vale of Clwyd, for the past 9 years. The total electorate figures shown here are those who are registered to vote as either Parliamentary electors, or local/European electors., or both.
	Data for 1996 are not readily available. The data are derived from data as reported by Denbighshire, and for years up to and including 2001, have been collated from the original paper returns.
	
		
			  Total electorate for Vale of Clwyd and Denbighshire 1997 to 2005 
			   Total electorate( 1) 
			  Year( 2)  Vale of Clwyd  Denbighshire 
			 1997 52,966 70,770 
			 1998 52,418 70,198 
			 1999 51,402 69,011 
			 2000 50,696 67,933 
			 2001 51,237 68,556 
			 2002 51,409 68,936 
			 2003 50,627 68,060 
			 2004 52,356 70,193 
			 2005 53,251 71,316 
			 (1) Total number registered to vote as parliamentary or local electors, combined.  (2) Data for years up to and including 2000 relate to 16 February, data for 2001 and subsequent years relate to 1 December.   Source:  Office for National Statistics

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Angola

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much  (a) direct and  (b) bilateral aid his Department has allocated to Angola in 2006-07; how much he expects to be allocated in 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The DFID bilateral programme in Angola has commitments of 5 million for the financial year 2006-07. Expenditure is concentrated in the following areas:
	Relief and recovery. This includes support for bridge repairs that are necessary to allow humanitarian aid to reach affected areas of the country. Funding has also been provided for emergency operations to contain the outbreak of the Marburg virus in 2005.
	Strengthening democratisation. Our work here focuses on decentralisation and supporting civil-society contributions to the elections process. We also work with the World Bank to try and improve governance in the country and support the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative.
	Urban poverty in Luanda. This programme has created space for local communities to organise and better engage with local government on a range of issues, such as local water supply. The programme will end this year.
	HIV and AIDS. We are providing support for condom promotion, access to testing and behaviour change programmes, and are also providing anti-retrovirals.
	This year, Angola has also received approximately 1.3 million from the Africa Conflict Prevention Pool (ACPP). ACPP funds are agreed on a yearly basis. In addition, DFID continues to support de-mining operations in Angola. 1 million has been provided this year for de-mining in the country. A similar commitment is expected in 2007-08.
	Angola will also be involved in regional programmes that DFID in Southern Africa is currently developing. This regional programme is a 20 million per annum commitment, addressing regional peace and security, trade and growth, and resilient livelihoods concerns. As part of this regional commitment, we have recently approved an 18 million UNICEF programme to address children affected by AIDS. Around 3 million of this programme will be directed to Angola.
	All DFID bilateral resources are managed through third party civil society and UN organisations and not by the Government of Angola.
	Allocated bilateral expenditure from DFID is expected to be 3 million for 2007-08. Angola also benefits from DFID contributions to European Union and the World Bank operations in Angola. The EU has committed 146 million over the five year period from 2002-07. The World Bank's contribution this year is approximately US$30 million.

Animal Welfare

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list his Department's  (a) advisory bodies and  (b) committees concerned with animal health and welfare; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: I refer the hon. Member to the response given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs(Mr. Bradshaw) on 9 May 2006,  Official Report, column 127W.

Chad

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will urgently assess the food situation in Chad.

Hilary Benn: DFID staff continually monitor the humanitarian situation (including food needs) in Chad, and undertake periodic assessments in the east of the country. Of immediate concern is the food situation of the estimated 50,000 Chadians who have been displaced as a result of attacks and violence in the border area with Darfur. The World Food Programme (WFP), along with other UN agencies and non governmental organisations (NGOs), are currently assessing needs and are launching programmes to assist these displaced and vulnerable people.
	Another critical issue at this time of year is the pre-positioning of food aid for the 205,000 Darfur refugees in Chad prior to the start of the rains. The WFP has indicated that, despite the deterioration of security in April, this process is on-track. The UK provided the WFP with 2 million for its operations in Chad last financial year, and we are considering providing further support.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many people in his Department have been  (a) disciplined and  (b) dismissed for (i) inappropriate use of the internet while at work and (ii) using work telephones to access premium rate telephone numbers in each of the last five years.

Gareth Thomas: All DFID staff can access the internet while at work. Our policy on the Acceptable Use of IT is set out in our security manual, available on our intranet, and is drawn to the attention of staff on first appointment. Each time staff log on to our computer network, they are required to acknowledge that they have read and agree to comply with the Acceptable Use of IT policy. Our system also alerts staff when logging in that their activity on the system may be monitored. The policy provides clear guidance that misuse of official equipment will be a disciplinary offence, and, subject to the particular offence, could lead to dismissal. The policy applies to civil servants working in the UK and overseas, and to our locally appointed staff overseas, who work under local contacts.
	Although internet activity on all DFID computers is logged every day, analysis is only undertaken when suspicion of misuse is raised. All premium rate telephone numbers are barred from DFID office telephones except for mobile telephones. Itemised bills for DFID mobile telephones are checked by individual departments.
	DFID did not hold a central disciplinary record until October 2004. In the last five years, we have details of one disciplinary case which did not result in dismissal and three dismissals (one of whom was provided by an agency and dismissed by the agency) for inappropriate use of the internet while at work. The following table lists the cases by year.
	
		
			   Disciplined  Dismissed 
			 2002 1 0 
			 2004 0 (1)2 
			 2005 0 1 
			 Total 1 3 
			 (1 )one locally appointed and one agency staff

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many  (a) EU foreign nationals and  (b) non-EU foreign nationals have been employed in his Department in each of the last five years; what vetting procedures are in place for each category of staff; and whether these include liaison with foreign law enforcement agencies.

Gareth Thomas: DFID collects information on Ethnic Origin and nationality for its home civil service (HCS) and equivalent staff in line with the categories defined in the 2001 Census and which were agreed with the Commission for Racial Equality. Provision of this information by staff is voluntary.
	Our records show that in the years 2001 to 2006, 115 HCS staff have declared their Ethnic Origin as Any other which is defined as other than British or Mixed British; English; Irish; Scottish or Welsh.
	The following table shows these results:
	
		
			  Ethnic nationality  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  Total 
			 Bangladeshi  1 1 
			 Indian  1 6 3   10 
			 Pakistani  1 23 
			 African 2 4  1 1  8 
			 Caribbean 2   1   3 
			 Asian and White  2 24 
			 Other Mixed Ethnic2 1  3 
			 White 18 15 16 16 8 2 75 
			 Any Other Ethnic background  1 4 1   6 
			 Unknown or Unspecified   1  1  2 
			 Total 22 25 31 24 11 2 115 
		
	
	As staff are not obliged to state the exact nationality which corresponds to ethnic origin we cannot provide a breakdown between EU foreign nationals and non-EU foreign nationals.
	For our HCS and equivalent staff, DFID carries out a basic verification check of identity and eligibility to work in the UK for EU foreign nationals and non-EU foreign nationals, when candidates attend the selection process. Further vetting for selected candidates, which can include criminal record checks with foreign law enforcement agencies, is undertaken by our Security Section.
	In addition to HCS staff, DFID also employs staff appointed in country (SAIC) in our overseas offices. We do not hold specific nationality information on these staff, but the vast majority are nationals of the country in which they are appointed, and, therefore non-EU foreign nationals. We do not hold a central record of annual appointments, but the total numbers of SAIC in post in each year since 2001, is as follows:
	
		
			   SAIC staff numbers 
			 2001 424 
			 2002 739 
			 2003 874 
			 2004 914 
			 2005 989 
			 2006 932 
		
	
	For Staff Appointed in Country, our Security Section carries out a basic check of identity, including references. The DFID overseas offices are required to confirm to Security Section that they have completed the relevant police checks for criminal records, where possible, with the local police authorities in the country of appointment.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what opportunities exist for people to work beyond retirement age in his Department.

Gareth Thomas: DFID's current retirement age is (i) for UK staff below the senior civil service and our locally appointed staff overseas who work under local contracts (unless local law dictates otherwise)60, with staff having the option to continue working up to 65 if they wish, subject to continued capability and satisfactory service; (ii) for the senior civil service60. We have flexibility to retain members of the senior civil service beyond 60 in certain circumstances if it is judged to be in the public interest, and similarly, exceptionally, staff below the senior civil service beyond 65. Currently there are three senior civil servants aged beyond 60, and three staff below the senior civil service aged beyond 65.
	From 1 October 2006, the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations come in to force, introducing wide ranging provisions against discrimination on age in employment and vocational training. The Regulations introduce a default retirement age of 65. DFID is presently considering what its retirement age should be from October 2006. For the senior civil service, it will be 65, in line with the default retirement age. DFID retains its delegated authority to set the retirement age for staff below the senior civil service and will decide shortly whether to adopt the default retirement age of 65 or to have no retirement age at all. The Age Regulations also introduce a duty to consider procedure to ensure retirements at whatever age are fair. This will allow employees to request to work beyond the normal retirement age, and require discussions between DFID and the employee about when the employee will retire. Both parties will have to give adequate notice in order to ensure the retirement constitutes a fair dismissal in employment law.

Departmental Staff

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many  (a) women and  (b) men are employed in the Department; what the average pay was for (i) women and (ii) men in the Department in (A) 1997 and (B) 2006; what women's average pay is as a percentage of men's average pay; and how many (1) women and (2) men the Department employed in each of the last five years, broken down by grade.

Gareth Thomas: The Cabinet Office collects and publishes annually statistical information on the civil service by Department. These include data on the employment of men and women.
	The number of permanent and pensionable home civil service (HCS) staff employed by DFID as at 1 May 2006 broken down by gender is: male: 949 and female: 898.
	The average (median) pay for HCS staff employed by DFID as at 1 May 2006 by gender are as follows:
	
		
			  1 May 2006 
			   Headcount  
			   Full-time staff  Part-time staff  Full-time equivalent 
			   Male  Female  Total  Male  Female  Total  Male  Female  Total 
			 Median 32,738 26,652 29,570 12,518 20,594 13,358 32,557 22,151 29,467 
			 Female median pay as percentage of male median pay 81.4 164.5 68.0 
			  Note:  A new payroll system introduced in 2004 holds data only from 2001 onwards equivalent figures for 1997 therefore can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. 
		
	
	The number of HCS staff employed by DFID broken down by gender and grade in each of the last five years are shown in the following tables:
	
		
			  1 April 2002 
			  All non-industrial staff 
			   Headcount
			   Full-time staff  Part-time staff  Full-time equivalent 
			  Responsibility level  Male  Female  Total  Male  Female  Total  Male  Female  Total 
			 SCS 50 10 60 0 0 0 50 10 60 
			 Grades 6/7 268 136 404 1 3 4 268.9 138 406.9 
			 SEO/HEO 194 144 338 1 19 20 194.5 155.6 350.1 
			 EO 135 133 268 1 27 28 135.5 150.1 285.6 
			 AO/AA 154 235 389 2 42 44 155.1 258.8 413.9 
			 Unknown 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 801 658 1459 5 91 96 804 712.5 1516.5 
			   
			 All industrial staff 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			  1 April 2003 
			  All non-industrial staff 
			   Headcount
			   Full-time staff  Part-time staff  Full-time equivalent 
			  Responsibility level  Male  Female  Total  Male  Female  Total  Male  Female  Total 
			 SCS 47 13 60 3 0 3 49.4 13 62.4 
			 Grades 6/7 310 157 467 2 11 13 311.4 165 476.4 
			 SEO/HEO 217 186 403 0 18 18 217 197.1 414.1 
			 EO 130 120 250 1 25 26 130.5 134.5 265 
			 AO/AA 140 216 356 2 43 45 141.3 240.9 382.2 
			 Unknown 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 844 692 1536 8 97 105 849.6 750.5 1600.1 
			   
			 All industrial staff 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			  1 April 2004 
			  All non-industrial staff 
			   Headcount
			   Full-time staff  Part-time staff  Full-time equivalent 
			  Responsibility level  Male  Female  Total  Male  Female  Total  Male  Female  Total 
			 SCS 56 19 75 1 0 1 56.9 19 75.9 
			 Grades 6/7 362 202 564 4 20 24 364.8 216.7 581.5 
			 SEO/HEO 232 192 424 0 22 22 232 206.2 438.2 
			 EO 142 137 279 3 23 26 143.6 150.7 294.3 
			 AO/AA 141 224 365 1 41 42 141.5 248.6 390.1 
			 Unknown 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 933 774 1707 9 106 115 938.8 841.2 1780 
			   
			 All industrial staff 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			  1 April 2005 
			  All non-industrial staff 
			   Headcount
			   Full-time staff  Part-time staff  Full-time equivalent 
			  Responsibility level  Male  Female  Total  Male  Female  Total  Male  Female  Total 
			 SCS 61 22 83 2 1 3 62.5 22.6 85.1 
			 Grades 6/7 407 218 625 6 23 29 411.1 234.4 645.5 
			 SEO/HEO 261 245 506 2 23 25 262.1 259.6 521.7 
			 EO 133 145 278 3 23 26 134.6 159.8 294.4 
			 AO/AA 124 184 308 1 44 45 124.5 211.3 335.8 
			 Unknown 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 986 814 1800 14 114 128 994.8 887.7 1882.5 
			   
			 All industrial staff 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			  1 April 2006 
			  All non-industrial staff 
			   Headcount
			   Full-time staff  Part-time staff  Full-time equivalent 
			  Responsibility level  Male  Female  Total  Male  Female  Total  Male  Female  Total 
			 SCS 56 22 78 3 3 6 58.4 23.8 82.2 
			 Grades 6/7 378 253 631 2 22 24 379.7 267.7 647.4 
			 SEO/HEO 267 210 477 0 25 25 267 226.4 493.4 
			 EO 129 131 260 5 23 28 131.5 145.3 276.8 
			 AO/AA 107 171 278 2 38 40 107.9 193.8 301.7 
			 Unknown 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 937 787 1724 12 111 123 944.5 857 1801.5 
			   
			 All industrial staff 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the total cost was of  (a) staff away days and  (b) staff team building exercises in his Department in each of the last three years.

Gareth Thomas: DFID does not separately record its expenditure on staff away days and staff team building exercises, and therefore is unable to provide the breakdown requested without incurring a disproportionate cost.
	DFID is committed to ensuring staff have the right skills and expertise to meet our commitment to the internationally agreed Millennium Development Goals. In November 2005, DFID launched a new People Strategy, which outlined our vision and commitments on how we will lead, manage, develop and support our people over the next three years. Individual departments within DFID plan and manage development away days and team building exercises for their staff in accordance with their specific needs in the context of business planning, continual professional development and performance improvement. Costs are usually met through delegated divisional or departmental training budgets.

Disabled Children (Developing Countries)

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the projects his Department is funding to ensure disabled children are given access to education in developing countries.

Gareth Thomas: All children, including those with disabilities or living in difficult circumstances, should have equal access to a good quality basic education. DFID is committed to working with the Governments of developing countries towards the education of all children, including those with disabilities.
	DFID's policy on social exclusion is laid out in its September 2005 policy paper entitled 'Reducing poverty by tackling social exclusion'. The paper sets out how DFID will build on the work that is already under way and some practical actions that DFID is taking to tackle social exclusion and make a real difference to the lives of excluded people.
	Also, DFID's strategy paper of last year, 'Girls' education: towards a better future for all' recognised that certain groups of girls are more likely to be excluded from school on the basis of caste, ethnicity, religion or disability and that disabled children, and among them disabled girls in particular, constitute a significant group that is denied access to education. The challenge is to support governments to provide quality education for excluded groups.
	It is not possible, without incurring a disproportionate cost, to identify a comprehensive list of projects supported by DFID which include supporting disabled children's right to education. DFID's approach is to support developing country governments' own education plans rather than directly manage discrete projects. In India, for example, DFID has supported through its country programme, the District Primary Education Programme, which promotes inclusive education, and some states have been successful in integrating disabled children into mainstream schools. In Vietnam, DFID has co-financed with the Government of Vietnam, the World Bank and other donors the Primary Education for Disadvantaged Children programme, a 243 million project which was launched in October 2003 and includes a strong focus on primary education for disabled children.
	DFID also provides funding through UK non-governmental organisations to support projects that benefit disabled people and advocate for disabled people's rights. DFID has partnership agreements with a number of organisations that support disability-focused activities, such as World Vision, HelpAge International, Save the Children and VSO, among others. In addition, through our partner, Action on Disability and Development, with whom we have a six-year Programme Partnership Agreement, we work to promote greater participation and inclusion of disabled people and their organisations in decision-making processes, particularly on partner governments' Poverty Reduction Strategies.

Farming (India)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken by his Department  (a) to modernise agricultural practices,  (b) to increase productivity and  (c) to improve access to credit for farmers in India.

Gareth Thomas: Agriculture in India is generally a success story. India is self-sufficient in staple grain crops in most years and stores a substantial surplus. The so-called 'green revolution' has been the main driving force behind this success, promoting the use of improved crop varieties and fertilisers in areas with access to irrigation.
	However, the benefits of new technologies have not been equitably distributed. DFID's focus has been on improving the livelihoods of farmers and other rural people in rain-fed areas which are not suited to the particular packages of improvements offered by the green revolution. The focus on livelihoods, rather than agriculture, recognises that poor people are often landless and depend on a diverse range of activities to support themselves. However, DFID-supported projects have developed and tested appropriate new agricultural technologies and tools in these areas that have resulted in increases in production and income, more efficient and sustainable use of soil and water resources and reduction of hard manual labour, particularly for women. Some examples are treadle pumps for small-scale irrigation, seed drills and paddy rice transplanters, which have made work easier as well as contributing to improvements in production.
	Consistent with this approach, DFID has concentrated on micro-credit rather than agricultural credit. DFID is working with the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) to develop the capacity of micro-finance institutions to on-lend to individuals or groups. Approximately 45 per cent. of these loans are for agriculture, livestock, fisheries or related activities. DFID's rural livelihoods projects incorporate revolving funds at the village level to support agriculture, livestock and micro-enterprise activities.

Fledgling Democracies

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 27 April 2006,  Official Report, columns 1231-32W, on fledgling democracies, why his Department does not track multilateral aid; and what mechanisms are in place in his Department to evaluate the effectiveness of the programmes which UK aid funds.

Gareth Thomas: DFID reviews the effectiveness of all bilateral projects over 1 million at least once a year. This includes money which DFID country programmes channel through multilateral agencies since according to international convention this aid is classified as bilateral. DFID has a public service agreement target to achieve a sustained increase in the quality of DFID's bilateral projects. DFID reports progress towards this target in the Departmental Report and the Autumn Performance Report. This year's Departmental Report will be published on 9(th) May.
	This monitoring system cannot track core contributions to multilateral agencies because these funds are pooled. However, DFID uses a Multilateral Effectiveness Framework and other assessments to evaluate the performance of the multilateral agencies. During 2004, DFID used the Multilateral Effectiveness Framework to assess 23 multilateral agencies against their objectives. These objectives were agreed jointly with DFID and set out in an Institutional Strategy Paper. These institutional strategies are publicly available. DFID uses the results of the Multilateral Effectiveness Frameworks and other mechanisms to inform decisions around funding for the multilateral agencies.

HIV/AIDS

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the percentage of pregnant women with HIV/AIDS in developing countries who receive  (a) information,  (b) drugs and  (c) antenatal treatment in order to prevent transmission of the virus to the child;
	(2)  what steps are being taken by his Department to link HIV/AIDS and family planning policies, with particular reference to the use of condoms;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the relationship between steps taken to improve maternal health and the achievement of HIV/AIDS targets.

Gareth Thomas: There is a close relationship in action to improve reproductive health and family planning, maternal health and to make progress on HIV and AIDS. Closing the gap in unmet needs for family planning would make a big contribution to helping to lower maternal mortality. Sexual and reproductive health services are vital in ensuring that women have a choice about if and when to have children, and play a key role in helping them avoid sexually transmitted infection including HIV, including through condom provision.
	HIV pregnant women with HIV and AIDS are four times more likely to die in pregnancy and childbirth than uninfected women. Women with HIV need care and services in pregnancy to help protect their own health and to help prevent transmission of HIV to their babies. The United Nations Secretary-General's progress report on the 2001 Declaration of Commitment on HIV and AIDS, released in April, estimates that only9 per cent. of HIV positive women in low and middle income countries currently receive antiretroviral drugs to prevent mother to child transmission of HIV. In countries with weak health systems this falls to less than 1 per cent.
	DFID is working to support stronger health systems, with more adequate staff, equipment and drug supplies that are needed to improve access to HIV treatment, as well as to provide women with the care needed in pregnancy, especially when complications arise. Sustained improvements in maternal health and AIDS prevention, treatment and care will in large part depend on strengthening basic health services. Access to sexual and reproductive health and family planning services must be an essential part of this effort, and we are working to ensure that the forthcoming United Nations General Assembly High Level Meeting on AIDS in June gives a clear and strong message on the importance of sexual and reproductive health to efforts to make progress in HIV and AIDS.

Palestine

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer to my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond, Yorkshire (Mr. Hague), of 18 April 2006,  Official Report, column 529W, on Palestine, if he will place in the Library a copy of the accounts of the Palestinian Authority audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Hilary Benn: PricewaterhouseCoopers have not yet completed their audit of the Palestinian Authority's accounts for 2003-04, although we expect them to do so shortly. As soon as the audit is completed and the details published a copy of the audit report will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Shan Refugees (Thailand)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Thailand about the treatment of Shan refugees living in Thailand.

Gareth Thomas: Discussion with the Government of Thailand about the treatment of Shan refugees living in Thailand is carried out by the British embassy in Bangkok through the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). The UNHCR's advocacy efforts with the Government of Thailand aim to improve the situation in the Burmese refugee camps in Thailand and to bring about a relaxation of the regulations prohibiting freedom of movement and employment outside the camps. In light of the fact that the Government of Thailand have agreed to expand resettlement opportunities from the camps, the UNHCR is stepping up its efforts to promote alternative solutions for Burmese refugees.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many trade delegations to the UK from each sub-Saharan country have received funding from the Department's bilateral country programme since 1997.

Gareth Thomas: DFID provides some support to sub-Saharan African countries for the development and facilitation of their national policies on trade, and specific issues like tourism, through its bilateral programmes. Much of DFID's support on trade to sub-Saharan Africa is provided regionally through programmes such as the Capacity-Building for Trade Policy and Negotiations and the Southern Africa Trade and Poverty Programme, and multilaterally through institutions like the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
	Governments can access funds for trade delegations to the UK and other destinations from a variety of sources, many supported by DFID funds, such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Trust Fund for Least Developed Country Travel managed by UNCTAD. This information is not held centrally and would involve a disproportionate cost to collect. For example, a delegation of developing country trade negotiators including from sub-Saharan Africa came to the UK at the end of last year. This was funded by the European Development Fund, to which the UK makes subscriptions.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Solicitor-General what opportunities exist for people to work beyond retirement age in his Department.

Mike O'Brien: I am answering this question on behalf of my Department's, the Crown Prosecution Service, Serious Fraud Office, Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office, Treasury Solicitor's Department and HMCPS Inspectorate.
	In all the Departments the normal retirement age for members of the senior civil service is 60. However heads of Departments have the flexibility to retain members of the SCS beyond 60 if they judge it to be in the public interest and are satisfied about the fitness and efficiency of the individual to carry out his or her duties. This flexibility has been used from time to time.
	For staff below the SCS all Departments have reviewed, or are reviewing their retirement policies.
	For the CPS the normal retirement age is 60, though former local authority staff that joined the CPS in 1986 retain the contractual right to remain in service until age 65, under the CPS (Transfer of Staff) Regulations 1985.
	Staff at level E and below may give notice of their intention to remain beyond age 60. All other staff must demonstrate that they meet the normal requirements of their level in terms of performance, attendance and conduct.
	The SFO has a flexible retirement policy covering staff below the SCS. The policy offers a minimum retirement age of 60 years at which employees may opt to retire and receive full accrued superannuation benefits as of right. Employees cannot remain in employment beyond the day prior to their 65(th) birthday.
	The Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office has now adopted a retirement policy that enables staff to continue working until the maximum age of 65.
	The Treasury Solicitor's Department raised its normal retirement age for people below the SCS from 60 to 65 on 1 June 2006. The Department now allows people to retire at any time between the ages of 60 and 65.
	HMCPS Inspectorate has decided not to change its policy, pending the creation of a single cjs inspectorate currently being debated in the Police and Justice Bill.

PRIME MINISTER

Foreign Criminals

Andrew Turner: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 3 May 2006,  Official Report, column 968, what advice he relied on for his statement that the Human Rights Act 1998 does not prevent the automatic deportation of foreign criminals on completion of their sentence.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave at my monthly press conference on 8 May 2006, a transcript of which is available on the No.10 website.

Ministerial Duties (Deputy Prime Minister)

James Duddridge: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the  (a) responsibilities,  (b) salary and  (c) nature and value of official benefits-in-kind of each Minister in (i) the Offiice of the Deputy Prime Minister before the week beginning 1 May and (ii) the Department for Communities and Local Government in the week beginning 8 May;

Alan Duncan: To ask the Prime Minister what duties he has allocated to the Deputy Prime Minister that relate to the responsibilities of the Department for Trade and Industry.

Tony Blair: A full list of the Government and details of machinery of Government changes were announced on 5 May. Copies are available in the Libraries of the House and on the No. 10 website. Details of salaries paid to Ministers are available in the Libraries of the House.

Ministerial Residences

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister what criteria he used in allocating official residences to members of the Government.

Tony Blair: I act in accordance with the way previous Prime Ministers have allocated official residences.

Peerages

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister whether Cameron Mackintosh was offered a peerage; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: It has been the practice of successive Governments not to comment on nominations for honours and peerages.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Child Behaviour

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the programmes run by his Department to modify behavioural patterns of children since 1997; and what the cost was in each case.

Jim Knight: Funding for behaviour improvement in schools comes from a wide variety of sources and is aggregated to varying degrees with funding for other activities, in particular, on initiatives which have the combined purpose of improving behaviour and attendance and on reducing exclusions. It is therefore impossible to give discrete totals just for behaviour improvement related activities.
	The information in the following table lists the main programmes funded by this Government since 1997 that most directly relate to improving behaviour and attendance in schools and the amounts of funding in each case.
	
		
			  Grant/scheme  Amount  Million 
			 Behaviour Grant  
			 1997-98 10.4 
			 1998-99 11.4 
			   
			 Schools Inclusion: Pupil Support Grant  
			 1999-2000 28.5 
			 2000-01 69.1 
			 2002-03 84.5 
			   
			 Behaviour Improvement Programme  
			 2002-03 50 
			 2003-04 85 
			 2004-05 95 
			 2005-06 121 
			   
			 National Strategies Behaviour and Attendance Strand  
			 2003-04 24 
			 2004-05 24 
			 2005-06 24 
			   
			 Primary Behaviour and Attendance programme  
			 2003-04 5 
			 2004-05 5 
			 2005-06 5 
			   
			 Funding to EiC areas for Learning Support Units and Learning Mentors  
			 1999-2000 17 
			 2000-01 69 
			 2001-02 103 
			 2002-03 121 
			 2003-04 134 
			 2004-05 143 
			 2005-06 152

City Academies

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what the capital cost is of each city academy in operation;
	(2)  what average amount of funding per academy has been released by his Department during the feasibility phase of planning the establishment of a new academy.

Jim Knight: The current capital allocation for the 27 academies currently in operation is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Open academy  Current agreed capital cash limit () 
			 The Academy at Peckham 30,169,539 
			 The Academy of St. Francis of Assisi 20,868,385 
			 The Business Academy Bexley 38,459,531 
			 Capital City Academy 26,994,000 
			 The City Academy, Bristol 27,666,644 
			 The City of London Academy 33,361,132 
			 Dixons City Academy 6,510,494 
			 Djanogly City Academy 21,587,127 
			 Greig City Academy 16,479,000 
			 Haberdasher's Aske's Hatcham College Academy 7,045,000 
			 Haberdasher's Aske's Knights Academy 40,380.591 
			 The Harefield Academy 26,418,502 
			 The King's Academy 22,301,104 
			 Lambeth Academy 25,445,886 
			 London Academy 31,398,939 
			 MacMillan Academy 13,028,620 
			 Manchester Academy 19,786,149 
			 The Marlowe Academy 27,803,246 
			 Mossbourne Community Academy 27,973,726 
			 The Northampton Academy 27,358,929 
			 Salford City Academy 15,052,758 
			 St. Paul's Academy 31,189,300 
			 Stockley Academy 25,809,685 
			 Trinity Academy 25,070,483 
			 Unity City Academy 20,590,000 
			 Walsall Academy 17,321,463 
			 West London Academy 31,163,389 
		
	
	The average cost of a new secondary school in a high cost inner city area is similar for academy and non-academy schools.
	The average amount of funding per academy released by my Department during the feasibility phase is 252,959. This figure is based on the funding released to the 27 open academies and to 30 other academies yet to open but which have entered feasibility and to which payments have been made.

Education Act 1996

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the operation of section  (a) 512,  (b) 512ZB and  (c) 512A of the Education Act 1996; what recent representations he has received on the operation of these sections; if he will place in the Library copies of such representations; and whether he plans (i) to amend and (ii) to repeal these sections;
	(2)  under what legislation children attending  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools receive free school meals; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Section 512 of the Education Act 1996, as amended by Section 201 of the Education Act 2002, sets out a local authority's responsibilities in relation to meals, milk and other refreshments provided in local authority maintained schools in England. This includes a duty on local authorities to provide:
	Free school lunches to eligible pupils;
	Paid for lunches where one is requested; and
	Free milk to eligible pupils where provision is made.
	Section 512A sets out the circumstances under which the functions relating to school lunches are transferred from a local authority to a school governing body.
	Section 512ZB of the Education Act 1996; The Education (School Lunches) (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Order 2003; The Education (Free School Lunches) (Prescribed Tax Credits) (England) Order 2003; and The Education (Free School Lunches) (State Pension Credit) Order 2005 set out free school lunch eligibility criteria.
	In September 2005, the School Meals Review Panel recommended, in their report 'Turning the Tables: Transforming School Food', that the Secretary of State should consider the impact of possible increases in the cost of school meals on low income families, whose income level places them just outside eligibility for free school meals.
	We have no plans to amend or repeal Sections 512, 512A or 512ZB of the Education Act 1996.

Food Education

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the strategies introduced by his Department to support and enhance food education in schools; if he will introduce further professional development for teachers in this area; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) will put a greater emphasis on practical cooking skills in the review of the National Curriculum at Key Stage 3. QCA is also revising the criteria for food related GCSEs to put a greater emphasis on diet and health, consumer awareness, food safety and hygiene and food preparation skills. The Training Development Agency is aiming to increase the number of food technology training places in initial teacher training. We have invested 1.5 million in professional development for primary teachers through our Food in Schools programme. However, in each school, headteachers and governors set priorities for professional development and it is for them to decide whether further food education provision is needed for their staff.
	In addition, our aim is for all schools to be working towards Healthy Schools status by 2009. The programme now includes a compulsory healthy eating strand. Schools develop whole school food policies, linking what is taught across the curriculum with the food children eat at school, to ensure that consistent messages about healthy food choices run throughout all aspects of school life. Healthy Schools co-ordinators are being trained to support schools, including on healthy eating.

Fresh start

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much income has been received from the sale of assets of schools closed under the Fresh Start scheme; and how much of this came from the sale of school playing fields.

Jim Knight: The Fresh Start scheme involves the closure of a struggling school and the opening of a new school on the same site, usually in refurbished buildings, and under an approved plan to improve standards at the new school. Comprehensive data on subsequent disposal of assets at Fresh Start schools, and therefore income, is not centrally available. However, since 1998, disposal of areas capable of forming a sports pitch has needed approval from the Secretary of State, and there is no recorded instance of such an approval at a Fresh Start school.

GCSE

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils achieved five or more A* to C grades at GCSE in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2006 in (i) Swindon and (ii) England.

Jim Knight: GCSE examinations have not yet been taken in 2006. The following table shows the percentage of 15-year-old pupils(1) achieving five or more GCSEs or equivalents(2) at grades A* to C in 1997 and 2005.
	
		
			   1997  2005 
			 Swindon local authority(3) 43.0 49.8 
			 England(4) 45.1 56.3 
			 (1) Pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year (i.e. 31 August).  (2) For 1997 includes GNVQ equivalences and for 2005 all other equivalences approved for use pre 16.  (3) LA level figures only cover maintained schools.  (4) England figures cover all schools including independent schools, hospital schools and PRUs.

Illiteracy

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people over the age of 65 years are deemed to be illiterate in  (a) former mining areas and  (b) England.

Phil Hope: The Department for Education and Skills does not collect statistics on the literacy levels of people over the age of 65 years.
	The Department does collect statistics on learners starting Skills for Life courses?adult literacy, numeracy and language courses. In the academic year 2003/04 around 18,000 adults aged 60 to 69 and 9,000 adults aged 70 and above in England started Skills for Life courses.

Mr. Des Smith

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how much Mr. Des Smith has been paid by his Department;
	(2)  when Mr. Des Smith transferred to the specialist schools and academies trust;
	(3)  what Mr. Des Smith's official duties were; and to whom he reported.

Jim Knight: The Department contracts with Veredus Interim Management to provide school improvement support for open academies. To deliver this contract, Veredus Interim Management used successful current or very recently retired headteachers, who had an excellent track record in raising standards to high levels and have experience of working in schools in challenging circumstances. Des Smith was one of the consultant headteachers provided via this contract. His role was to provide support for two newly opened academies. This support involved practical help and advice to the new senior leadership teams helping them to establish monitoring systems and to implement effective school improvement strategies.
	The Department made no direct payments to Mr. Smith. The work of individual consultants, including Mr. Smith, was managed by Veredus Interim Management. The contract with Veredus Interim Management was managed by the academies division within DfES.
	Mr. Smith ceased doing this consultancy work in January 2006. He did not 'transfer' to the specialist schools and academies trust. Separate from his consultancy work, Mr. Smith was also a member of the SSAT council. He joined the council as a co-opted headteacher representative in November 2005 and resigned in January 2006. He also undertook a very small amount of consultancy work for the trust.

Physical Education

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will take steps to improve physical education in schools during  (a) the current and  (b) 2006-07 school year; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Government are investing over 1frac12; billion in the five years up to 2008 to deliver the first comprehensive national school sport strategy, which went live in April 2003. The strategy's prime objective?a joint Department for Education and Skills and Department for Culture, Media and Sport PSA target?is to increase the percentage of five to 16-year-olds who spend a minimum of two hours each week on high quality PE and school sport within and beyond the curriculum, to 75 per cent. by 2006 and 85 per cent. by 2008. The long-term ambition?by 2010?is to offer all children at least four hours of sport.
	Spearheading action is the creation of a national network of sports colleges and school sport partnerships. There are currently 411 live school sport partnerships incorporating 80 per cent. of schools in England. All maintained schools will be within a partnership by September 2006. Good progress is being made towards the PSA target. The 2004/05 school sport survey found that 69 per cent. of pupils in the 11,4000 schools taking part were spending at least two hours in a typical week on high quality PE and school sport, an 11 per cent. increase on 2003/04. Copies of the survey reports for 2003/04 and 2004/05 have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament.

Prison Education

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will enable successful charities working in the prison education sector to enter the quality assurance regime.

Phil Hope: The Government recognise the contribution charities make towards offender learning and the importance of linking charity provision to a quality assurance regime. Charities are already a part of a prison's quality assurance regime and guidance on this matter was issued in March 2004 to Prison Service Heads of Learning and Skills and Education Managers in prisons.

Pupil Participation

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what plans he has to ensure that all schools put into effect the guidance on pupil participation in decision-making; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the impact of the Working Together guidance published in 2002 on dealing with pupil participation in decision-making in schools, with particular reference to its  (a) circulation and  (b) implementation; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department is encouraging schools to put the guidance on participation into practice in ways that are meaningful to children and young people. As a key outcome for all children, local partners including schools and local authorities have to listen to children and involve them in planning and delivery of services. We have ensured that inspection arrangements make the views of children and young people an important part of assessing how local areas are doing, and of school inspections. In addition, we have changed the law so that school governing bodies can now appoint pupils as associate members allowing them to attend governing body meetings and become members of committees.
	Printed copies of the guidance were sent to all schools and local education authorities and are available online. Since then 10,853 additional copies have been requested. Evidence from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority monitoring and the National Foundation for Educational Research longitudinal reports shows that more schools than ever before have set up school councils as a way of involving pupils in decision-making processes.

School Meals

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the operation of the Education (Nutritional Standards for School Lunches) (England) Regulations 2000;
	(2)  if he will bring forward legislation for mandatory  (a) nutrient and  (b) compositional standards for school meals, including maximum and minimum levels for (i) fat, (ii) sugar, (iii) salt, (iv) vitamins and (v) minerals; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what recent steps he has  (a) taken and  (b) plans to take to encourage the sale of healthy foods from vending machines in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools in (A) Southend and (B) England; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: School lunches provided in all local authority maintained schools in England must meet the minimum requirements set out in the Education (Nutritional Standards for School Lunches) (England) Regulations 2000. Introduced on 1 April 2001, the first such regulations for over 20 years, they require schools to make foods from the following groups available on a daily basis:
	Fruit and vegetables;
	Milk and dairy;
	Meat, fish and alternative sources of protein; and
	Starchy Foods
	In addition, the standards make separate requirements in relation to the frequency that certain foods e.g. red meat and fish are served.
	Later in May 2006, we intend to announce, in response to recommendations from the School Meals Review Panel and the School Food Trust, a full suite of new standards for school food.
	To implement these new standards, we intend to replace the Education (Nutritional Standards for School Lunches) Regulations 2000 with new regulations enshrining new food-based and nutrient-based standards for school lunches. In addition, the Education and Inspections Bill, currently in its parliamentary stages, includes a clause which would enable the application of standards to meals other than lunches and to other food in schools, e.g. tuck shops and vending machines.
	These standards, which will form part of our forthcoming announcement, would play a significant role in preventing the sale of less healthy foods and drinks in schools, including through vending machines.
	We believe that there are no vending machines in primary schools in England.
	Guidance on healthy vending is already in place to support secondary schools and is available through both the joint Department for Education and Skills/Department of Health 'Food in Schools' programme www.foodinschools.org, and the Food Standards Agency, www.food.gov.uk/news/pressreleases/2004/oct/vendinghealthy.

School Meals

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the operation of the Education (Transfer of Functions concerning School Lunches etc.) (England) (No. 2) Order 1999 (S.I., 1999, No. 2164).

Jim Knight: Where an authority delegates funding resources for meals to schools, the Education (Transfer of Functions Concerning Schools Lunches etc.) (England)(No. 2) Order 1999 transfers the duty of providing a free meal and a paid meal from the local authority to the governing body of each school whose budget share includes a delegated amount in respect of meals and other refreshment. In most local authorities, the funding of school meals has been delegated down to schools, and therefore the Order passes the local authority's duty in providing meals on to schools.

School Meals

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on (i) the take-up and (ii) the quality of free school meals in (A) primary and (B) secondary school children; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Annual Schools Census collects data on free school meal eligibility and take up. In 2001, DfES commissioned research to explore factors which could improve the take up of free school meals (DfES Research Report 270). In addition, the Department's cost of schooling survey collected information from parents and carers about their child's school meal take up (DfES Research Report 588).
	In addition, DfES has commissioned research to assess food consumption and quality of school meals (including free school meals) in maintained schools in England. A study of 'School meals in secondary schools in England' reported in 2004 (DfES Research Report 557). A similar study of maintained primary schools has been conducted and findings will be reported this May.
	Part of the remit of the school food trust is to ensure adherence to school food standards; and to increase the take up of school meals.

School Meals

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the operation of the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999; if he will amend the regulations to provide for free bottled mineral water for use in school dining halls; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999 requires all maintained schools to have a wholesome supply of water for domestic purposes, including drinking water. The local authorities together with school governors are responsible for ensuring compliance with the Regulations. The Secretary of State can, under Section 497 of the Education Act 1996, take action to enforce compliance with the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999.
	Independent schools are subject to The Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2003, which quote The Education School Premises Regulations 1999 in respect of water supplies. The Independent School Standards are the Regulations to which independent schools are inspected under Part 10 of the Education Act 2002. The Independent Schools Registration Authority will consider the inspector's report and can take enforcement action.
	Further guidance is available in Building Bulletin 87 (Guidelines for Environmental Design in Schools), which can be viewed on the website: www.teachernet.gov.uk/energy.
	New school food and drink standards will require all local authority maintained schools to provide drinking water, free of charge, at all times to registered pupils on school premises. We do not consider there to be valid reasons to stipulate that water should be served in bottles.
	We believe that schools are best placed to decide how best to deliver the requirements of the new standards. However, the School Food Trust plans to publish good practice guidance to assist with the implementation of the standards.

School Statistics

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of pupils live outside the local authority in which the school is located in each secondary school that selects  (a) wholly and  (b) partly by ability.

Jim Knight: holding answer 10 May 2006
	The information requested for wholly selective schools has been provided in the following table. We are unable to provide figures for partially selective schools as they are not designated as such and therefore the Department has no definitive list.
	
		
			  England  
			 Number of pupils attending grammar schools 111,426 
			 Number of pupils attending grammar schools residing outside school local authority 23,779 
			 Percentage of pupils attending grammar schools residing outside school local authority 21.4 
			 Number of pupils attending grammar schools with unknown residence 380 
			  Notes: 1. Includes secondary, middle deemed secondary, academies and City Technology Colleges. 2. Includes pupils aged 15 and under.  Source:  School Census January 2006 (provisional)

School Transport

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with bus operators on developing innovative dedicated transport facilities for children's journeys to schools;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with environmental organisations on the steps necessary to create a more sustainable system of school transport.

Jim Knight: Officials in the Department have regular meetings with representatives from a wide range of organisations, including the environmental, and bus transport sectors, as part of the joint Department for Transport (DfT) and Department for Education and Skills (DfES) Travelling to School action plan. This plan includes work with a range of stakeholders to promote sustainable home to school travel, and to increase the proportion of pupils walking, cycling and taking the bus to school.

School Transport

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to encourage more efficient and sustainable transportation of children to school;
	(2)  how many local authorities have made bids for funding to pilot new systems of transport for school children in their area;
	(3)  what ring-fenced resources have been allocated in 2006-07 to encourage local authorities to develop innovative systems of school transport.

Jim Knight: The joint Department for Education and Skills and Department for Transport Travelling to School action plan aims to increase the proportion of pupils travelling to school by sustainable means. We want all school in England to develop travel plans by the end of the decade, and the Government are funding a network of travel advisers in each local authority to support them in drawing up and implementing measures to encourage more pupils to walk, cycle or take the bus to school.
	The Education and Inspections Bill includes provisions to improve home to school travel and transport arrangements in three main respects:
	By placing a general duty on local authorities to assess the travel and transport needs of all pupils, and to promote sustainable travel to school;
	By extending entitlement to free home to school transport for low income families (for secondary aged pupils to any one of the three nearest suitable schools, where the distance travelled is between two and six miles; and for primary aged pupils aged over eight, to their nearest school where this is more than two miles from their home); and
	By enabling a small number of local authorities to propose Pathfinder schemes to test innovative approaches to home to school transport to support school choice, reduce the distances pupils are expected to walk to school, and increase the proportion of pupils travelling by sustainable means.
	The Department will support these improvements with additional funding as follows:
	4 million per annum to support the new general duty on local authorities from financial year 2007/08;
	revenue funding building to 40 million per annum to support the extension of rights for low income groups from financial year 2008/09; and
	4 million pump priming and annual revenue support building up over several years to 12 million for school travel Pathfinder schemes, which we anticipate will start in September 2009.
	The Department will seek formal expressions of interest in Pathfinder schemes only after these proposals have been enacted.

Teacher Salaries

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average salary was for a teacher in  (a) Blackpool,  (b) Lancashire and  (c) England in the latest year for which information is available.

Jim Knight: Provisional estimates show that in March 2004, the latest information available, the average salaries of full-time regular qualified teachers, of all grades, in Blackpool and Lancashire local authorities were 30,830 and 31,520 respectively. In England it was 31,710. These averages include all allowances including, for England, London Weighting.

Teacher Salaries

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 7 March 2006,  Official Report, columns 1483-84W, to the hon. Member for Peterborough, on teachers' pay, what progress has been made in consideration of the issues arising from the consultation on enabling teachers to access tax-beneficial schemes.

Jim Knight: We expect that an Order amending the statutory School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document, to enable teachers to use salary sacrifice for child care vouchers and other recognised activities and thereby benefit from the advantages of reduced income tax, will be laid before Parliament shortly.

Truancy

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of school-home support organisations in reducing truancy.

Jim Knight: Local Authorities' Education Welfare Services work with schools and families to help parents discharge their responsibility for ensuring that their child attends school regularly, if they are of compulsory school age and registered at a school. They will arrange home visits where appropriate and work with families to resolve attendance issues.
	Education Welfare Services are making a significant contribution to improving levels of school attendance. Overall absence from schools has fallen in each of the last four years and, in 2004-05, is at the lowest level since records began.

Truancy

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils were recorded as having at least one incidence of truancy in 2005-06.

Jim Knight: The Department does not hold data on pupils recorded as truant, it also does not yet hold the 2005/06 data. However, the figures for the number of pupils missing at least one half day due to unauthorised absence (of which truancy forms a part) in maintained mainstream schools in 2004/05 was 1,358,206, this accounts for 20.6 per cent. of the 6,602,061 pupils in maintained mainstream schools.

University Degrees

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the proportion of jobs in the UK which will require a university degree in  (a) 2015,  (b) 2020 and  (b) 2025.

Bill Rammell: The Institute of Employment Research and Cambridge Econometrics have recently published two sets of UK skill scenario projections, investigating skills profiles up to 2014(1) (commissioned by the Learning and Skills Council and the Sector Skills Development Agency), and separately up to 2020 (commissioned as part of the Leitch Review of Skills(2)).
	These analyses suggest that between 2004 and 2014, just over 12 million jobs will need to be filled (through a combination of new employment growth and replacing workers leaving employment). We do not know exactly how many of these will need graduates, although around 6 million are expected to be in 'managerial', 'professional' or 'associate professional' occupations (high-level jobs that are most likely to employ graduates).
	The 'baseline' projections(3) up to 2020, broadly using the same approach, suggest that around 18 million jobs will need to be filled, with around 9 million expected to be in these high-level occupations.
	The research needs to be viewed as showing possible trends in the skills needs of the future workforce. The work makes assumptions about how past trends in occupational change will continue; about future macro-economic performance; and how business decision-making will react to changing skill profiles.
	More detail is available in the individual reports. No projections up to 2025 have been conducted.
	(1)Wilson et al (2006) Working Futures 2004-2014, IER/CE. (www.ssda.org.uk/ssda/Default.aspx?page=28).
	(2)Wilson et al (2005) Alternative skills scenarios to 2020 for the UK economy, IER/CE, (www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/independent_ reviews/leitch_review/review_leitch_index.cfm).
	(3)The 'baseline' projections assume the historical rate of skills acquisition will remain relatively stable.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2006,  Official Report, column 1183W, on Afghanistan, under what circumstances the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) will provide support to the Government of Afghanistan's counter-narcotics operations; what support will be provided; and whether any particular types of support from ISAF have been ruled out.

Des Browne: ISAF forces may provide support to Government of Afghanistan-led counter-narcotic efforts in a number of ways set out in an annex to NATO's operational plan for the mission in Afghanistan. These include training of Afghan counter-narcotics personnel and the provision of intelligence. ISAF forces are not permitted to take direct, pre-planned action against the drugs trade, including eradication of opium poppy.

Counselling

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of servicemen and women who have visited an armed forces counsellor in each of the last 12 months.

Tom Watson: The Ministry of Defence does not employ armed forces counsellors. Welfare support is provided by a variety of organisationsservice, civilian and voluntaryin recognition of the uniqueness of service life. It would not be practicable to identify the number of individual visits to these organisations over the last 12 months but there is no doubt that they provide valued and well-used services.

Defence Cuts

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the military  (a) bases,  (b) facilities and  (c) installations where (i) closures and (ii) manning reductions are planned, broken down by parliamentary constituency; and if he will identify the constituency.

Tom Watson: This information is not all held centrally or in the form requested. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as the facts have been assembled and collated and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) EU foreign nationals and  (b) non-EU foreign nationals have been employed in his Department in each of the last five years; what vetting procedures are in place for each category of staff; and whether these include liaison with foreign law enforcement agencies.

Tom Watson: Data regarding how many EU foreign nationals that have been employed in the Department in each of the last five years is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	In line with the statutory prohibition in the Aliens Restriction (Amendment) Act 1919, the Ministry of Defence is required to provide an annual return on the number of non-UK/EU/Commonwealth citizens (aliens) employed in the Department. The MOD employed non-UK/EU/Commonwealth citizens (aliens) for the period 2001-02 to 2004-05 as follows:
	
		
			  Non-UK/EU/Commonwealth citizens employed in the MOD 
			   Number 
			 2001-02 21 
			 2002-03 34 
			 2003-04 31 
			 2004-05 30 
			 2005-06 (1) 
			 (1) Awaiting data 
		
	
	The need for an individual to undergo national security vetting, and the level of vetting that is appropriate will depend on the particular post they are going to fill. All applicants undergo the same clearance process regardless of their nationality.
	The range of checks that are required to be carried out are set out in the then Prime Minister's statement of 15 December 1994,  Official Report, columns 764-66.

Departmental Staff

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officials from his Department are seconded to private companies, broken down by  (a) grade and  (b) private company; and what costs have been incurred by his Department as a result of the secondments.

Tom Watson: There are currently 297 officials seconded from the Ministry of Defence. Records are not kept centrally on whether the secondments are to private companies (charities or other organisations) and this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Nor am I able to provide figures as to the costs involved as this information is also not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Disposal Contractors

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) barristers' chambers and  (b) (i) Ministry of Defence and (ii) Treasury legal staff have been employed by the Government during the case of arbitration referred to on 9 February 2004,  Official Report, column 1177W.

Adam Ingram: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Fire Brigade Strike

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence under what conditions the Army provides back-up in the event of a fire brigade strike.

Tom Watson: These conditions are outlined at paragraphs 3.26 and 3.27 of the Fire and Rescue Service Statutory National Framework 2006-08, laid before Parliament earlier this year and published on6 April 2006. The Government's White Paper, 'Our Fire and Rescue Service', published in 2003, stated that
	it would be wrong for any party to proceed on the basis that the Armed Forces will be available in the event of industrial action (Paragraph 7.23).

Military Deployment (Afghanistan)

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what criteria will determine whether forces in Afghanistan will be subject to the provisions of  (a) the law of armed conflict and  (b) human rights legislation when fighting insurgents in the course of their current deployment.

Des Browne: UK forces deployed as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) will operate at all times within the framework of applicable international and domestic law, including the Law of Armed Conflict.

RAF Hythe

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make representations to his United States counterparts to maintain the US Army Field Support Battalion at RAF Hythe  (a) until existing work at the shipyard has been completed and  (b) permanently.

Adam Ingram: It was a US Government decision to withdraw the US army operations from RAF Hythe by 30 September 2006. Representations were made to the US ambassador in advance of the decision being made.

RAF Hythe

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of the United States army's presence in the United Kingdom is stationed at RAF Hythe.

Adam Ingram: There are two United States army personnel stationed at RAF Hythe and this represents less than 1 per cent. of the total number of United States army personnel in the United Kingdom. In addition to the two US army personnel at RAF Hythe the US army also employs around 200 civilians at the facility.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Corporate Hospitality

David Simpson: To ask the Leader of the House on how many occasions he has accepted corporate hospitality in the last 12 months.

Jack Straw: I have accepted corporate hospitality on two occasions in the last 12 months. Details are given in the Register of Members' Interests (Session 2005-06), published on 24 March 2006.

Deputy Prime Minister

Eric Pickles: To ask the Leader of the House whether the Deputy Prime Minister will answer oral parliamentary questions.

Jack Straw: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 10 May 2006,  Official Report, column 245W to the hon. Member for Mid-Worcestershire (Peter Luff).

Ministerial Visits (Accommodation)

David Simpson: To ask the Leader of the House what the total cost was of overnight accommodation for  (a) civil servants and  (b) special advisers in his office staying overnight in (i) mainland Great Britain, (ii) Northern Ireland, (iii) the Republic of Ireland and (iv) other countries in each of the last three years.

Jack Straw: The information is set out in the following table. No special advisers or civil servants from the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons made overnight trips to Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland.
	
		
			   
			   Great Britain  Other countries 
			   Special advisers  Civil servants  Special advisers  Civil servants 
			 2003-04 0 0 0 0 
			 2004-05 0 0 1,122 1,122 
			 2005-06 75 0 506 505

Portland PR

Helen Goodman: To ask the Leader of the House what meetings officials in his Office have had with representatives of the public relations company Portland PR; what contracts Portland PR has with his Office and agencies for which he has responsibility; and what the nature of the contract is in each case.

Jack Straw: None.
	Two special advisers working for my right hon. Friend the Member for Ashfield (Mr. Hoon), when Leader of the House of Commons, attended a summer garden party on 13 July 2005 hosted by Portland PR.

Staff Development

David Simpson: To ask the Leader of the House what the total cost was of  (a) staff away days and  (b) staff team building exercises in his Office in each of the last three years.

Nigel Griffiths: No staff away days or team building events have been held by the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons within the last three years.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Activity Levels

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how activity levels amongst the general population have changed in the last 10 years.

Richard Caborn: According to the Health Survey for England (2004) the percentage of the population achieving the recommended levels of physical activity has increased for both men and women, from 32 per cent. in 1997 to 35 per cent. in 2004 for men, and 21 per cent. to 24 per cent. for women. This is based on undertaking a minimum of 30 minutes of at least moderate intensity activity at least five times a week.
	The new national Taking Part survey will provide robust measurement of the Department's public service agreement target on increasing participation in sport.

Ministerial Visits (Accommodation)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on how many occasions Ministers of State in her Department stayed overnight in  (a) five star,  (b) four star and  (c) three star hotels on foreign visits in each of the last three years.

Richard Caborn: The detailed information requested could not be provided without disproportionate cost.
	All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the ministerial code and travel by Ministers, copies of which are available in the Libraries of both Houses.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

1911 Census

Mike Hancock: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will place in the Library a copy of the Registrar General's Analysis of tentative proposals made by National Archives to release 1911 Census records in advance of 2012, dated 18 February 2004, together with the associated correspondence with her Department about the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Bridget Prentice: I have today placed in both Libraries copies of correspondence between my Department and the Office for National Statistics on this matter.
	Since 1966 successive Governments have consistently maintained this position, and from 1981 onwards there has been an explicit assurance on census forms that they will remain closed to the public for 100 years. It remains government policy to make census returns publicly available after a period of 100 years.

1911 Census

Mike Hancock: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the Registrar General's conclusion, dated 18 February 2004, regarding the effect of the release of the 1911 Census before 2012 on public trust in statistical confidentiality; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: I have today placed in both Libraries copies of correspondence between my Department and the Office for National Statistics to which the hon. Member refers. No formal assessment was made in response to the letter of 18 February 2004. The Government's view is that a closure period of 100 years strikes the right balance between the access interests of family historians and the right of citizens to have the personal information about themselves in their census returns kept confidential. Maintaining the security and confidentiality of the information that citizens supply about themselves in their census returns is of paramount importance. It remains government policy to make census returns publicly available after a period of 100 years.

Census Closure Rule

Mike Hancock: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of  (a) the Registrar General's proposal, dated 18 February 2004, to enshrine a 100-year census closure rule in primary legislation and  (b) the implications for that proposal of the principles of the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: There are no current plans to enshrine a 100-year census closure rule in primary legislation.

Children's Services

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many nursery and creche places are provided for people working in her Department; what charges are made for the provision of such services; and what other facilities are provided for children of employees of her Department.

Bridget Prentice: My Department has 37 bought-in nursery places and during the past year provided74 holiday playscheme places. The Department offers a25 per cent. subsidy towards nursery places anda 50 per cent. subsidy towards playscheme places. The total cost was 43,712.05 during the last financial year. 34,253.88 was spent on subsidised nursery places at a cost of 1,200.00 per child; and a total of 9,458.17 for subsidised playscheme places at a cost of 127.00 per place. The Department has participated actively in an inter-departmental working party in collaboration with the Daycare Trust to establish the Civil Service Childcare Toolkit.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what opportunitites exist for people to work beyond retirement age in her Department.

Bridget Prentice: My Department has a retirement policy which explicitly states that if a member of staff below senior civil service level wishes to work beyond the normal retirement age of 65 we will normally agree to such a request subject to the normal standards of health, efficiency, conduct, performance and attendance being met. Individuals may not work beyond the age of 70 except in exceptional circumstances. The normal retirement age in the senior civil service is 60. However, the Department retains members of the senior civil service if it is judged to be in the public interest to do so and it is satisfied as to the fitness and efficiency of the individual to carry out his or her duties. This flexibility allows the Department to meet its business needs, retaining valuable knowledge and skills, while giving staff as much choice as possible about when they retire.

Election Registers

John Mann: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many General Election marked registers were not available  (a) six months and  (b) nine months after the 2005 general election.

Bridget Prentice: The only marked register that was unavailable in either the six months or nine months following the 2005 General election was Woking, which was missing in its entirety.

Electoral Registration

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what percentage of those eligible to vote were registered to vote in each local authority in  (a) England,  (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and  (d) Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 11 May 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions regarding (1) the size of the electorate and the registration rate in each local authority in (i) England, (ii) Wales, (iii) Scotland and (iv) Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years; (2) the percentage of those eligible to vote who were registered to vote in each local authority in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years and (3) the total electorate for (a) the Vale of Clwyd and (b) Denbighshire in each of the last 10 years. (68582, 64195 and 65905)
	Firstly, please allow me to explain why it has taken a little while to reply to your questions. I understand from the House of Commons Library that you are most interested in Parliamentary electorate by local authority. This is not a standard output so it has taken some time to collate the data and ensure it is on an equivalent basis. This is further complicated by different data being available for England  Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Electoral data are held locally by the General Register Office for Scotland (GROS), the Electoral Office Northern Ireland (EONI) and for England  Wales the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Regarding the question on total electorate for Denbighshire and the Vale of Clwyd, we do not normally publish data on total electorate (rather we publish local/European electorate and separately Parliamentary electorate data). For years up to and including 2001, data are not held electronically in a form that enables us to calculate 'total electorate'. Therefore, in order to obtain the data you requested we have referred to the annual paper returns from Denbighshire to collate the necessary data.
	Historical UK Electorate by LA
	Electoral data are available on the number of people registered to vote in Parliamentary elections and also on the number of people registered to vote in local/European elections. Annual population data are only available on a usual residence basis: the mid-year population estimates. Since population data are available by age, the mid-year population aged 18 and over can be calculated. Thus it is possible to calculate an estimate of the 'registration rate' using the percentage of the usually resident population, aged 18 and over who are registered to vote as either Parliamentary or local/European electors).
	It is not possible to 'split' estimates of the usual resident population in order to give estimates of the population entitled to vote. We do not hold data (e.g. populations of non-EU citizens) that enable us to produce such a 'split'.
	The attached tables (one for each year), therefore, provide information, for each local authority in the UK, on (i) the annual 'usual resident' mid-year population; (ii) the size of the (a) Parliamentary electorate and (b) local/European electorate; and (iii) the percentage of the estimated usually resident population aged 18 and over who are registered to vote as (a) Parliamentary electors and (b) local/European electors. These are labelled as 'registration rates' on the tables and this term is used in the remainder of this reply. These data provide the closest available approximation to the information you requested. It is not possible to calculate the percentage of the eligible population who are registered to vote: the resident population aged 18 and over is not the same as the number of people eligible to vote.
	This 'registration rate' is not a published National Statistic: there are a number of issues that mean care needs to be taken when interpreting the data. In particular care needs to be taken when considering local authorities where the usually resident population differs radically from the population eligible to vote. An example of such a local authority is Forest Heath. There are a large number of United States Air Force personnel, contractors, and dependants in Forest Heath who, as American citizens, are not eligible to vote. These people are however included in the population estimates as they are usually resident. Therefore, the estimated 'registration rate' calculated for Forest Heath is considerably reduced. However, the Office for National Statistics (ONS), in order to aid comparisons of the resident population of voting age and the number of people who are registered to vote, does calculate 'registration rates' on occasion in the manner outlined above.
	The attached tables give comparisons between the number of registered electors and annual mid-year population for the ten years up to mid-2004 (the latest available population estimates for the UK) for all local authorities in the UK. Each table shows a comparison against Parliamentary electorate (where available) and against local/European electorate. The availability of Parliamentary electorate by LA differs by country as this is a non-standard output. Data availability also differs from year to year. Recent improvements to the way the data are held for England and Wales mean these data can now be calculated for more recent years. For England and Wales data on Parliamentary electorate by LA, for years prior to 2002, could only be calculated by reference to individual paper LA annual returns and would involve disproportionate cost. For Scotland, 2004 data on Parliamentary electors by LA will be available shortly and we will provide you with an update of these tables when they become available. For Northern Ireland data on Parliamentary electors by LA are not currently available.
	In order to give an estimate of the number of electors at the mid-year point, 30 June, a weighted average is taken of the two closest sets of electoral data. This gives the best possible comparison with the population estimates. Footnotes to the tables indicate the formulae used to calculate these weighted comparisons.
	Attainers have been excluded from the electorate data to give the best possible comparison. Therefore, the data may differ to that published elsewhere.
	We have also updated the data where there are known (small) errors in or updates to previously published data. This means that the attached data provide the best possible comparison.
	The local/European electorate gives a better comparison than parliamentary electorate to the usually resident population as EU citizens are included and UK citizens resident abroad are excluded from the local/European electorate. However, a number of other difficulties remain when comparing these sources. For example not everyone who is usually resident is entitled to vote (foreign citizens from outside of the EU and Commonwealth, prisoners, etc. are not eligible) and people who have more than one address may register in more than one place (e.g. students may register at parental and term-time addresses). These factors may have a differential impact from place to place.
	There is also inevitably some double counting of the registered electorate (both parliamentary and local/European) as electoral registration officers vary in how quickly they remove people from the registers after they have moved away from an area or after they have died. This is the main reason some areas show apparent rates in excess of one hundred per cent.
	In order to aid comparison two further tables are attached that show the estimated 'registration rates' for all ten years. Table A shows these rates for Parliamentary electors and Table B for local/European electors. However, any comparison of these data across years should be made carefully as electoral legislation and other changes (such as EU expansion) can change the size of the electorate.
	A copy of the tables will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
	The tables provide as comprehensive as possible comparisons between historic local authority population and electorate numbers. I understand from the House of Commons Library that you are also interested in the percentage of residents who are registered to vote on a Parliamentary constituency basis. Official Report number 82 column 1719, 12 December 2005, provides the best possible consistent UK comparison for Parliamentary constituencies. For England and Wales we hope to investigate the possibility of producing population estimates by Parliamentary constituency in the future using Small Area Population Estimates. For Northern Ireland, population estimates by Parliamentary constituency are already available from the Northern Ireland Statistical and Research Agency (NISRA). You may also be interested in the Electoral Commission study Understanding electoral registration: http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/templates/search/document.cfm/13545.
	Total Electorate for Denbighshire and Vale of Clwyd
	The table below provides the requested 'total electorate' information for Denbighshire and the Vale of Clwyd, for the past 9 years. The total electorate figures shown here are those who are registered to vote as either Parliamentary electors, or local/European electors., or both.
	Data for 1996 are not readily available. The data are derived from data as reported by Denbighshire, and for years up to and including 2001, have been collated from the original paper returns.
	
		
			  Total electorate for Vale of Clwyd and Denbighshire 1997 to 2005 
			   Total electorate( 1) 
			  Year( 2)  Vale of Clwyd  Denbighshire 
			 1997 52,966 70,770 
			 1998 52,418 70,198 
			 1999 51,402 69,011 
			 2000 50,696 67,933 
			 2001 51,237 68,556 
			 2002 51,409 68,936 
			 2003 50,627 68,060 
			 2004 52,356 70,193 
			 2005 53,251 71,316 
			 (1) Total number registered to vote as parliamentary or local electors, combined.  (2) Data for years up to and including 2000 relate to 16 February, data for 2001 and subsequent years relate to 1 December.   Source:  Office for National Statistics

Electoral System

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make a statement on the outcome of the pilots for postal voting.

Bridget Prentice: Although it is too early to make a full assessment, initial indications suggest that the pilots of administrative changes to the postal voting process at the May 2006 local elections have been conducted successfully. The Electoral Commission will formally evaluate the pilots and report by 3 August 2006.

Legal Services Commission

Julie Morgan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many matters were started under Legal Services Commission contracts in civil law, in each of the financial years 2000-01 to 2004-05, broken down by category of law; and what the projected total is in each category for 2005-06.

Vera Baird: The following table shows the number of matters started as reported by solicitor firms and not for profit suppliers, including community legal service direct, for each financial year since 2000-01. The number of matters started differ slightly from what has previously been published in the Legal Services Commission's (LSC) annual reports as matters started during the year are still reported after the publication of the annual report, and the annual report does not include new matters started through community legal service direct.
	
		
			  Number of matters started as reported to the LSC by solicitors' firms and not for profit suppliers 
			  Category of law  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 (projected total) 
			 Actions against the police 5,414 5,341 5,455 4,474 4,584 4,540 
			 Community care 2,037 2,117 2,711 3,098 3,459 4,051 
			 Consumer 11,772 9,150 7,327 5,015 3,939 3,845 
			 Debt-solicitor/nor-for-profit contracts 50,137 48,635 52,802 55,708 59,327 72,463 
			 Debt-community legal service direct N/a N/a N/a N/a 13,589 29,508 
			 Education-solicitor/nor-for-profit contracts 3,007 3,327 3,452 2,984 2,663 2,614 
			 Education- community legal service direct N/a N/a N/a N/a 2,312 4,631 
			 Employment-solicitor/not-for-profit contracts 12,076 10,977 11,719 10,522 9,658 11,389 
			 Employment-community legal service direct N/a N/a N/a N/a 2,311 11,562 
			 Housing-solicitor/not-for-profit contracts 87,718 86,307 88,014 81,606 84,220 96,985 
			 Housing-community legal service direct N/a N/a N/a N/a 1,902 12,397 
			 Family 309,975 320,373 339,043 302,764 277,125 281,684 
			 Mental health 23,242 26,118 28,637 29,063 31,003 34,081 
			 Miscellaneous-solicitor/not-for-profit contracts 34,675 28,359 22,731 14,949 9,896 9,251 
			 Miscellaneous-community legal service direct N/a N/a N/a N/a 394 1,480 
			 Public law 1,429 1,429 1,811 1,614 1,649 1,797 
			 Welfare benefits-solicitor/not-for-profit contracts 86,420 78,479 78,992 76,439 73,891 83,975 
			 Welfare benefits-community legal service direct N/a N/a N/a N/a 6,000 14,047 
			 Personal injury 10,357 7,237 5,787 4,827 3,155 2,836 
			 Clinical negligence 4,570 4,892 4,585 4,076 3,693 3,519 
			 Other methods of delivery N/a N/a N/a N/a N/a 21,855 
			 Total 642,829 632,741 653,066 597,139 594,770 708,510 
		
	
	Matters started in the immigration and asylum category are not reported as part of civil law. However, the matters are still started as part of the general civil contract. The matters started in this category are in the following table.
	
		
			   2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 (projected total) 
			 Immigration and Asylum 137,940 140,605 156,227 121,918 95,038 90,635

Political Parties (Members Liabilities)

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the Government's policy is towards the liabilities of individual members of registered political parties in circumstances of  (a) liquidation,  (b) bankruptcy and  (c) administration of such a party.

Jack Straw: I have been asked to reply. 
	The requirements for the registration and administration of political parties are set out in the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA).
	There are no specific rules regarding liquidation, bankruptcy or placing in administration of registered political parties in the Act. Whether individual members have liabilities, and the insolvency procedures applicable to a political party, are not matters governed by electoral law. Rather such matters will depend on how the particular political party has been set up, and its legal status in the general law: for example, some parties may be registered companies, and therefore would be subject to the specific requirements of companies' legislation.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Publications

Gregory Campbell: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission how many publications were produced by the Electoral Commission during 2005; and what the total cost was.

Peter Viggers: I am informed by the Electoral Commission that during 2005 it produced 48 publications at a cost of 340,136. These included both statutory reports and publications providing training and support for those involved in the running of elections, political parties, agents and candidates.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Brighton and Hove Albion

Norman Baker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the dates of contacts between  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department and representatives of (i) Brighton and Hove council and (ii) Brighton and Hove Albion football club since 25 October 2005; and whether in each case the contact was by (A) telephone, fax or e-mail, (B) written correspondence and (C) meeting.

Angela Smith: holding answer 24 April 2006
	I have been asked to reply.
	Given the hon. Gentleman's interest in the Palmer planning decision, I have restricted my answer to contact regarding that matter.
	I am unable to provide details of telephone calls, faxes or emails as these records are not held centrally.
	The letter setting out the Secretary of State's decision regarding the applications at Palmer was issued to all main parties on 27 October 2005.
	No Ministers or officials in the Department for Communities and Local Government have had any meetings or written correspondence relevant to the planning decision with either the Council or the Football Club since the decision was issued.

Fire and Rescue Services

Celia Barlow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the impact on response times of the move to individual integrated risk management plans for the fire and rescue services in England.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	No assessment has been made. It is for individual Fire and Rescue Authorities to determine appropriate fire cover and the level of service in its area on the basis of local risk assessment and management.

Fire and Rescue Services

Julian Lewis: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance she has issued on the fitting of front-line fire service vehicles with satellite navigation systems; and what percentage of such vehicles in each fire service region is fitted with such devices.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	No guidance on the fitting of front-line fire and rescue service vehicles with satellite navigation systems has been issued to date.
	Details of satellite navigation systems fitted into fire and rescue service vehicles are not collected centrally.

Home Information Packs

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what pilots have been undertaken prior to the introduction of home information packs.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	A pilot scheme was established in Bristol on 10 December 1999 and ran until July 2000. Some of the findings of that pilot will be updated through research to establish the baseline for home information packs. The first phase of this research is due to begin shortly with completion by September 2006. In addition, I refer my hon. Friend to the statement in the press notice issued on 7 April which gives details of a dry-run prior to introducing home information packs on 1 June 2007.

Neighbourhood Renewal

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has for neighbourhood renewal projects in Milton Keynes.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply
	The Department does not have any plans to extend neighbourhood renewal programmes to Milton Keynes.
	Neighbourhood Renewal funding is being allocated to the most deprived localities and neighbourhoods to help narrow the gap between these and the rest of the Country.
	Milton Keynes does not meet these criteria.
	As a growth area, Milton Keynes is already in receipt of targeted funding to improve the quality of life of residents and create sustainable communities.

Street Wardens (Peterborough)

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he plans to provide funding from 2006-07 for the street wardens scheme in Peterborough; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	There are no plans to further fund street warden schemes. The direct Office of the Deputy Prime Minister funding which ended in March 2005 was awarded on a short-term, pump priming basis, as was stated at the instigation of the funding.

Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Authority

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the forthcoming White Paper on Local Government will clarify whether an executive mayor could replace the indirectly appointed Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Authority.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 10 May 2006
	We expect that the Local Government White Paper will clarify any proposals for directly elected mayors for city-regions or former metropolitan areas.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefit Claims

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the time taken to rate a claim for  (a) jobseekers' allowance and  (b) income support was in Alloa in (i) May 2004 and (ii) May 2005.

Anne McGuire: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what the time to rate a claim for Jobseeker's Allowance and Income Support was in Alloa in May 2004 and May 2005. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Our measure of the time taken to process a claim is the Actual Average Clearance Time. For 2005/06, the Jobcentre Plus Key Management Indicator level for processing claims for Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance were 12 working days.
	Jobcentre Plus does not record information separately for Alloa. However, it is included with the information for the Stirling area. The Actual Average Clearance Times for the Stirling area are in the table.
	
		
			   Jobseeker's Allowance Clearance Time (Days)  Income Support Clearance Time (Days) 
			 May 2004 8.9 12.5 
			 May 2005 8.4 10.9 
		
	
	I hope this is helpful.

Child Poverty

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what measures the UK Government are assessing to target help to children in the UK that live below 27 per cent. of median income.

Margaret Hodge: The information is not available.
	Specific information regarding low income for Wales, Scotland and the English regions of Great Britain is available in the latest publication of Households Below Average Income 1994-95 to 2004-05.
	Poverty is about more than low income. It is also about health, housing and the quality of the environment. Households who report the lowest incomes may not have the lowest living standards. Therefore households in the lowest range of income distribution should not automatically be considered to have the lowest living standards.
	Our current approach in Opportunity for All is to present a range of low income thresholds (50, 60 and 70 per cent. of median income). This gives an idea of the depth of poverty and it is simple to interpret. Indeed, the incorporation of two different relative low income thresholds into our new child poverty measure (60 and 70 per cent. of median income), together with the absolute tier, further ensures that different depths of poverty will be looked at separately.
	All publications listed are available in the Library.

Child Support Agency

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people came on to the Child Support Agency system in each of the last 12 months.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the right. hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people came on to the Child Support Agency system in each of the last 12 months.
	Following clarification received from your office, a table showing the change in the Agency's caseload over the last 12 months, as well as the Agency's intake of potential applications, is presented in the attached table.
	Further information on the Agency's caseload and intake is available in the Child Support Agency's Quarterly Summary Statistics (QSS), published on 27th April 2006. A copy of this document is available in the House of Commons Library. Specifically in the QSS:
	Table 1 shows the Agency's caseload, and a breakdown thereof.
	Table 2.1 shows the number of potential applications received each month by the Agency.
	I hope you find this useful.
	
		
			  The Agency's caseload, and the change in the Agency's caseload relative to the previous month, for April 2005 to March 2006 
			   Caseload  Change in caseload relative to previous month  Monthly intake of potential applications 
			 April 2005 1,426,000 10,000 25,000 
			 May 2005 1,427,000 1,000 25,000 
			 June 2005 1,432,000 5,000 25,000 
			 July 2005 1,440,000 8,000 25,000 
			 August 2005 1,447,000 6,000 23,000 
			 September 2005 1,449,000 2,000 24,000 
			 October 2005 1,456,000 7,000 29,000 
			 November 2005 1,464,000 8,000 30,000 
			 December 2005 1,475,000 11,000 23,000 
			 January 2006 1,486,000 10,000 30,000 
			 February 2006 1,503,000 18,000 34,000 
			 March 2006 1,519,000 16,000 35,000 
			  Notes:  1. The Agency's caseload consists of all open pre-calculation/assessment cases, and cases with a maintenance liability (including those with both a nil and positive maintenance liability).  2. The size of the Agency's caseload will be affected by the Agency's intake and the number of cases that are closed within any given time period.  3. It is not possible to quantify the extent to which the Agency's clerical new-scheme caseload is or is not included in the above numbers.  4. Volumes are rounded to the nearest thousand. Components may therefore not sum, due to rounding.

Child Support Agency

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the Child Support Agency (CSA) quarterly statistical summary, published on 27 April, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the reduction in the old scheme CSA caseload by 42,000 cases between March 2005 and March 2006.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the right hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 11 May 2006:
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Child Support Agency (CSA) quarterly statistical summary published on 27th April what assessment he has made of the reasons for the reduction in the old scheme CSA caseload by 42,000 cases between March 2005 and March 2006.
	As noted in Table 1 of the Agency's Quarterly Summary Statistics (QSS), the old scheme caseload reduced from 965,000 in March 2005 to 923,000 in March 2006. There are three reasons for this fall:
	i. Some cases will have been closed or withdrawn either at the request of the parent with care or because the youngest child in a case has reached an age at which he or she no longer qualifies for child support, and any outstanding arrears on that case have been paid by the non-resident parent.
	ii. Some cases will have had relevant links to new schema cases and been reactively converted onto the new scheme during the period in question.
	iii. The old scheme no longer has any intake-any new applications received by the Agency from 3rd March 2003 onwards are treated as new scheme applications.
	The above means that the old scheme caseload can be expected to reduce steadily over time. It should be noted that the Agency's new scheme caseload increased by 144,000 over the same period, from 452,000 to 596,000.

Child Support Agency

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when a decision will be made to move existing Child Support Agency cases from the old scheme to the new scheme.

James Plaskitt: We have always said that we could not consider transferring the bulk of the old scheme caseload onto the new scheme until the new scheme was working well.
	We have asked Sir David Henshaw to consider this issue as part of his redesign of the child support scheme. Sir David Henshaw has been asked to deliver his findings to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mr. Hutton) before the summer recess.

Departmental Leave

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many days have been lost to sickness absence in her Department in each of the last three years.

Anne McGuire: The information available is contained in the following table. The figures show the total working days lost to sickness absence, as well as an average of working days lost per staff year. The information has been drawn from internal DWP records based on data from the Department's payroll systems.
	
		
			  Year ended  Working days lost  Average 
			 February 2004 1,713,573 12.6 
			 February 2005 1,632,678 12.5 
			 February 2006 1,249,179 10.3

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what opportunities exist for people to work beyond retirement age in his Department.

Anne McGuire: DWP operates the civil service-wide arrangement for senior civil servants, with retirement at age 60. The head of the Department and Agency chief executives have the flexibility to retain SCS staff beyond 60 if they judge it to be in the public interest and are satisfied about the fitness and efficiency of the individual to carry out their duties. We have one SCS member of staff working beyond age 60 out of a total of 247 SCS members.
	DWP policy provides the opportunity for staff in grades below the senior civil service to request to work beyond our retirement age of 65. We have 220 people out of a total of 116,965 working over age 65.
	There are no special arrangements to identify work opportunities for people over 65. They are treated the same as all other employees.
	We have successfully operated the arrangements for staff below SCS since October 2003, which is three years ahead of the implementation in October this year of the DTI Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006. The regulations will prohibit age discrimination in employment and vocational training.
	We have reviewed the effectiveness of this policy and from 1 October 2006 we will have no mandatory retirement age at all for staff below SCS.
	By removing the retirement age of 65, we are giving people more choice about managing their working lives and planning for retirement. DWP positively encourages older workers, and recognise the benefits of experienced and committed staff.
	This change to our retirement policy is another positive measure in the Department's progress in championing diversity and further demonstrates our commitment to ending discrimination.

Departmental Relocation

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which buildings and sites used by his Department and related agencies  (a) have ceased to be used in the last year and  (b) will be closed under current plans for relocation.

Anne McGuire: The information has been placed in the Library.

Departmental Websites

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list  (a) the websites operated by his Department and  (b) the reports placed on the internet in March 2006, indicating in each case whether paper copies were also made available.

Stephen Timms: Table A lists those websites operated by Department for Work and Pensions where we are responsible for the content.
	
		
			  Table A 
			  Website name  Website address 
			 Department for Work and Pensions www.dwp.gov.uk 
			 Jobcentre Plus www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk 
			 The Pension Service www.thepensionservice.gov.uk 
			 Child Support Agency www.csa.gov.uk 
			 Directgov Disabled People and Carers Sections www.direct.gov.uk/disability 
			 Directgov Over 50s Section www.direct.gov.uk/over50s 
			 Age Positive www.agepositive.gov.uk 
			 Employment Zones www.employmentzones.gov.uk 
			 Benefit Fraud Inspectorate www.bfi.gov.uk 
			 Office for Disability Issues www.officefordisability.gov.uk 
			 European Social Fund www.esf.gov.uk 
		
	
	Table B lists those websites operated by the Department for Work and Pensions but where we are not responsible for the content.
	
		
			  Table B 
			  Website name  Website address 
			 Disability Employment Advisory Committee www.deac.org.uk 
			 Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board www.dlaab.org.uk 
			 Employer Task Force www.employertaskforce.org.uk 
			 Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force www.emetaskforce.gov.uk 
			 Independent Case Examiner www.ind-case-exam.org.uk 
			 Industrial Injuries Advisory Council www.iiac.org.uk 
			 National Employment Panel www.nationalemploymentpanel.gov.uk 
			 Pensions At Work www.pensionsatwork.org 
			 Pensions Commission www.pensionscommission.org.uk 
			 Social Security Advisory Committee www.ssac.org.uk 
		
	
	Table C details the reports placed by the Department on the internet, that is all sites listed in tables A and B, in March 2006.
	
		
			  Table C  Date added  Paper copies? 
			  Reports added to the Child Support Agency www.csa.gov.uk   
			 Business Plan 30 March 06 Yes 
			
			  Reports added to the Department for Work and Pensions www.dwp.gov.uk   
			 New Deal for Disabled People Evaluation: Survey of Eligible Population, Wave Three. Research Report No. 324 7 March 2006 Yes 
			 Review of Action Teams for Jobs. Research Report 328 7 March 2006 Yes 
			 DWP Decision Making Standards Committee -Annual Report 2004-05 8 March 2006 Yes 
			 Survey of employers' policies, practices and preferences relating to age. Research Report no. 325 9 March 2006 Yes 
			 The employment rates of disabled people 9 March 2006 Yes 
			 Households Below Average Income (HBAI) 1994-95-2004-05 9 March 2006 Yes 
			 Tackling poverty - a progress report 9 March 2006 Yes 
			 Revaluation of earnings factor order 2006 10 March 2006 Yes 
			 Occupations Pension Schemes: Review of Certain Contracting Out Terms 15 March 2006 Yes 
			 A review of the JSA sanctions regime: Summary Research Findings. Report No. 313 16 March 2006 Yes 
			 Making random assignment happen: Evidence from the UK Employment Retention and Advancement (ERA) demonstration. Research Report No. 330 16 March 2006 Yes 
			 Sanctions: Qualitative summary report on lone parent customers. Working Paper No. 27 16 March 2006 Yes 
			 Pensioners' Income Series 16 March 2006 Yes 
			 Housing Benefit Quarterly Performance Statistics (Data for third quarter 2005-06) 16 March 2006 Yes 
			 Housing Benefit Quarterly Fraud Performance Statistics (Data for third quarter 2005-06) 16 March 2006 Yes 
			 Family Resources Survey 17 March 2006 Yes 
			 Opportunity For All Indicators 11, 24, 37 and 39 updated 17 March 2006 No 
			 Debt Management Customer Charter 20 March 2006 Yes 
			 An investigation of CSA Maintenance Direct Payments: Qualitative study. Research Report No. 327 21 March 2006 Yes 
			 Survey of Annuity Pricing 28 March 2006 Yes 
			 The Pension Service Customer Survey 2005. Research Report No. 331 23 March 2006 Yes 
			 Latest Jobcentre Plus print products added to the HTML online catalogue 28 March 2006 Yes 
			 The Occupational Pension Schemes (Exemption) Regulations 2006: Government Response 29 March 2006 Yes 
			 The Occupational Pension Schemes (Winding up Procedure) Regulations 2006 29 March 2006 Yes 
			 Disability Discrimination Act 2005 Disability Discrimination (Premises) Regulations 2006 Regulatory Impact Assessment 29 March 2006 Yes 
			 The Disability Discrimination (Premises) Regulations 2005 29 March 2006 Yes 
			 The Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes (Consultation by employers and miscellaneous amendment) Regulations 2006, and 29 March 2006 Yes 
			 The Occupational Pension Schemes (Consultation by employers) (Modification for multi-employer schemes) Regulation 2006 29 March 2006 Yes 
			 Disability and Carers Service launch Business Plan 30 March 2006 Yes 
			 Employers' Pension Provision Survey 2005. Research Report No. 329 30 March 2006 Yes 
			 Experience of the Job Retention and Rehabilitation Pilot. Research Report No. 339 30 March 2006 Yes 
			 Impacts of the Job Retention and Rehabilitation Pilot. Research Report No. 342 30 March 2006 Yes

Disability Living Allowance

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1198W, on disability living allowance, what proportion of people in West Lancashire awarded disability living allowance on the basis of behavioural disorder, including enuresis and hyperactivity, were children.

Anne McGuire: The administration of disability living allowance is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Terry Moran, dated 11 May 2006:
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 20th October 2006 Official Report column 1198W on disability living allowance what proportion of people in West Lancashire awarded disability living allowance on the basis of behavioural disorder including enuresis and hyperactivity were children.
	The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a substantive reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service.
	As at November 2005, there were 5,840 Disability Living Allowance claimants living in the Lancashire West Parliamentary Constituency of which 140 claimants have their main disabling condition recorded as behavioural disorder including enuresis and hyperactivity. Of these, 100 claimants (73.8%) are aged under 16.
	DEFINITIONS AND CONVENTIONS:- Nil or Negligible;. Not applicable; Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest ten. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	SOURCE: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study for totals.
	Notes:
	1 Totals shows the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and excludes people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital.
	2. Parliamentary Constituencies have been allocated using the ONS postcode directory.
	3. Some claimants have more than one disabling condition, only the main disabling condition is recorded on the IFD datasets.

Disability Living Allowance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions his Department has had with charities and campaign groups on the Disability Living Allowance application form; and whether recommendations were made relating to the form following such meetings.

Anne McGuire: The administration of Disability Living Allowance is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Terry Moran:
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions his Department has had with charities and campaign groups on the Disability Living Allowance application form; and whether recommendations were made relating to the form following such meetings.
	The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a substantive reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service.
	The establishment of DCS as an Agency on 1 November 2004 marked an increased focus on understanding the needs of its customers through early and proactive consultation with customer representative organisations. As changes have been made to some of the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) claim forms over the last year, DCS has undertaken specific consultation activity with the DCS Advisory Forum and where appropriate the wider lobby. The DCS Advisory Forum is the Disability and Carers Service's (DCS) main mechanism for consulting with the Voluntary and Community Sector. The forum was originally established in 1998 to provide advice and guidance to officials of DCS and the Department on the impact of change initiatives on disabled customers.
	We are currently reviewing the DLA National claim form. This will be issued to the DCS Advisory Forum in May. Full consideration will be given to any comments received and full responses to those comments will be provided.
	In July 2005, we consulted with the DCS Advisory Forum on the proposed DLA Adult Claim form to be used within the Customer Case Management (CCM) test taking place at Manchester and Bootle Disability Benefit Centres (DBCs). At special events in July and September 2005, we also consulted with a high number of local voluntary and community organisations within the Manchester and Bootle DBC catchment areas.
	In January 2006, we returned to the DCS Advisory Forum to consult with them on the proposed second version of the CCM claim form.
	As a result of this consultation activity, a number of suggestions were submitted, many of which we have been able to incorporate. This has led to improvements being made to the form which will make it easier for customers to understand and answer the questions; provides customers with the option to describe the help they need and the difficulties they have at the end of each question; the layout, format and wording have also been improved and makes the form visibly clearer and easy to read.
	When a suggestion has been made but not acted upon, for example where the suggestion would unfairly advantage one group of disabled people at the expense of other groups, reasons were given to the Forum to explain why the suggestion was not taken up.
	On 20 March 2006, the provision for customers to make e-claims via the internet for a range of DWP benefits was introduced, including DLA and AA. DCS took the lead on consulting on behalf of the Department with Interactive Demonstration and Preview events of the DWP e-Services taking place in Manchester and Birmingham in November 2005. These events provided customer representative groups with early sight of the DLA, Attendance Allowance, State Pension UK, Jobcentre Plus, and Child Support maintenance application e-forms. The DCS Advisory Forum, Jobcentre Plus Key Stakeholders and the Pension Service Partnerships Against Poverty Group were invited to attend these events, with representation from wider customer representative organisations also attending on the day. As a result of the comments received at these events, improvements to the DLA e-claim form are to be made. Steps are now being taken to include the provision for customer representatives to include their details, an option to provide Textphone details and increasing the size of text boxes.
	Our consultation approach via the formal DCS Advisory Forum, the wider lobby where appropriate, and via customer feedback channels allows for continuous dialogue and suggestions from our customers or their representatives as to how our claim forms can be improved.
	I hope you find this information helpful.

Disabled People

Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on his Department's progress in fulfilling its statutory obligation as a public body of promoting the rights of disabled people.

Anne McGuire: The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 placed new duties on public authorities to promote equality for disabled people, 'the Disability Equality Duty'. This Department (DWP) has taken the following steps to meet the Disability Equality Duty:
	DWP is host to the Office for Disability Issues (ODI), which was launched on 1 December 2005 to take forward the Government's strategy for improving the life chances of disabled people. One element of this work will be to overset the effective implementation of the Disability Equality Duty. The ODI is working in partnership with the Disability Rights Commission to support and encourage Departments to commit to meaningful actions that will improve their policies and services and realise the potential of their diverse workforces.
	The Department is already working towards the publication of its disability equality schemes by 4 December 2006. The process was formally launched in April 2006 and will mean both central units and agencies involving disabled people in developing action plans for tackling problem areas and identifying positive actions to address these. We have also already begun planning for the Secretary of State's report due in 2008.
	DWP is currently revising its existing guidance on accessible communications with a view to introducing a new standard for information accessibility. This set of standards will form part of the disability equality scheme referred to earlier.
	We have commissioned public access audits of all its premises used by the public during 2003. A total of 1,735 buildings were surveyed, and a programme of public access improvement works commissioned on 1,032 sites which are scheduled for completion in June 2006. The existing public access provisions are subject to annual review and any future additional requirement is built into the annual maintenance work programmes.
	The Department wants staff to understand and embrace diversity and an important part of achieving this has been the development of a diversity toolkit which makes all our diversity and equality policy and information easily accessible in one place on an internal website. The toolkit also is now being used by around 70 other organisations.
	The Department is keen to ensure we meet the workplace needs of disabled staff and potential staff and recently DWP has run two pilot exercises on a revised process for delivering reasonable workplace adjustments for staff. The development of the new process was partly in response to the length of time it took to assess and put reasonable adjustments into place, and partly to ensure that the recommended adjustment was the most suitable for that individual. A third pilot is due to start shortly. This will be followed by a formal evaluation exercise. On completion of the first two pilots, and subject to the evaluation, we will commence planning for national implementation across the Department and agencies.
	DWP encourages all business units to consider the potential impact of policy and services on all equality groups, ahead of future legislation. For example, at least three impact assessments have been completed to date by the Disability and Carers Service, taking into account disability, with a number of additional assessments in the process of being completed.
	The Department has been working in partnership with the Employers' Forum on Disability in order to address the needs of its disabled customers. In particular, it has contributed, along with other public and private organisations, to the interactive Disability Confident training resource pack which uses both video and DVD format. This addresses the key principles of dealing with disabled people in general, and particularly communications issues relating to those with specific impairments. This earned a special commendation in the prestigious 'World of Learning Awards'.
	Both the Minister for Disabled People and senior officials participate in an annual series of meetings with disabled customers and those with disability interests to explain current and planned policy, and to gain a better knowledge of people's views and concerns.
	DWP consults with staff on disability issues through a National Disability Staff Network Group. The Department has recently reviewed all of the staff network groups with the intention of raising their profile and enabling them to contribute to successful diversity outcomes for the Department. Representatives from all of the groups have met with the recently appointed Permanent Secretary twice and he has committed to meet with them on a quarterly basis.
	DWP also analyses, and acts upon, staff perceptions on diversity issues in the annual staff attitude survey; and meets regularly with trade unions side to consider disability along with other diversity issues. In addition, staff can raise diversity issues at regular staff forum events held around the country and via a site on the DWP intranet.

Incapacity Benefit

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment she has made of the reasons for the change in the number of people claiming incapacity benefit for mental and behavioural disorders for the period 1995 to 2005; and if she will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The department has undertaken substantial in-house analysis to determine both the trends and the reasons for the change in the number of those claiming incapacity benefit for mental and behavioural disorders.
	The rise in the number of people with mental and behavioural disorders claiming incapacity benefits mirrors a rise in the overall number of individuals in the population with mental health problems.
	Claimants with mental and behavioural disorders as a primary diagnosis now make up an increasing proportion of the overall caseload accounting for almost 40 per cent. of the total caseload, compared with 25 per cent. in the mid 1990s; although growth in the proportion of the caseload with mental and behavioural disorders has been slowing in recent quarters. This is both because they make up an increasing proportion of inflows and because they have lower off-flow rates than other groups. It follows that, people with mental health conditions are, on average, much more likely to become long-term claimants.

Pension Credit

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the current application processing time is for pension credit.

Stephen Timms: The Pension Service's internal target for processing applications for pension credit is 10 working days. The average time taken during March 2006 was 9.01 working days. The year to date figure is 8.79 working days.

Recruitment

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies spent on recruitment, search and selection agencies in each of the last five years.

Anne McGuire: This information is not collated within this Department and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Staff Development

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total cost was of  (a) staff away days and  (b) staff team building exercises in his Department in each of the last three years.

Anne McGuire: Full information on the total cost of staff training away days and team building exercises organised by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is not collated and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Transactional Processes

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken to modernise transactional processes within  (a) his Department and  (b) the agencies for which he has responsibility in the last three years.

Anne McGuire: The Department and its agencies are in the course of extensive modernisation, which is being delivered through a number of substantial business change projects.
	The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Project  Business area  Description  Expected completion date 
			 Payment modernisation Jobcentre Plus Pension Service Disability and Carers Service Provides for the payment of benefits and pensions directly into customer bank accounts. Complete 
			 Centralisation of benefits processing Jobcentre Plus Disability and Carers Service Rationalises the number of benefit processing centres across the country. December 2008 
			 Benefits processing replacement Jobcentre Plus Disability and Carers Service Modernised benefit processing, effective fraud management and improved service to employers. Facility for benefits to be claimed on-line. TBA 
			 Customer management system Jobcentre Plus Disability and Carers Service IT system that enables information supplied by working age customers to be gathered electronically, improving efficiency and customer service. Complete 
			 Customer information system Pension Service Database of key citizen information to be shared across DWP and other Government Departments. July 2007 
			 Pensions transformation programme Pension Service Modernised business processes, IT and telephony to deliver a significantly improved customer focused service. Staged delivery. Final wave expected 2010. 
			 Pensions forecasting project Pension Service Gives customers automated on-line pension forecasts Complete 
			 DCS transformation programme Disability and Carers Service Modernised business processes and IT. TBA 
			 Child support reforms Child Support Agency Redesign of the Child Support System. Stabilise and improve the performance of the Agency in the short term. TBA 
			 Central payments system Corporate and Shared Services New payment processing IT functionality to support payments for new entitlement management and financial scheduling systems. September 2009

Unemployment (Brentford and Isleworth)

Ann Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what action he has taken to reduce unemployment in Brentford and Isleworth constituency since 2001 among  (a) young people,  (b) disabled people,  (c) lone parents and  (d) the long-term unemployed.

Margaret Hodge: Since 2001, nearly 1,200 lone parents, young people and long term unemployed adults have been helped into work through the New Deal in Brentford and Isleworth. People with health conditions and disabilities will also have been helped into work through New Deal for Disabled People but these figures are not available at parliamentary constituency level.
	Lone parents in Brentford and Isleworth can also get additional support to help them into work through the Work Search Premium and In-Work Credit. The Lone Parent Work Search Premium was introduced in October 2004 and eligible lone parents can receive an additional 20 per week if they agree to undertake intensive work search activities. Eligible parents in Brentford and Isleworth who obtain employment of more than 16 hours a week can also be paid 40 per week for the first year of the job through the In-Work Credit, which was also introduced in October 2004.
	Over the next two years, we will be extending our Pathways to Work pilots to every part of Britain. The pilots have already shown significant success in helping people off incapacity benefit and into employment.
	Information on the numbers of people helped into work through New Deal for Young People, New Deal for Lone Parents and New Deal 25 plus, which is specifically aimed at helping long term unemployed adults into work, is in the following table.
	
		
			  New Deal in Brentford and Isleworth 
			   Individuals into work: 
			   Since January 2001  Since the start of the programme 
			 New Deal for Young People 430 770 
			 New Deal for Lone Parents 490 660 
			 New Deal 25 plus 240 360 
			  Note:  1. Figures are to the end of August 2005 and are rounded to the nearest 10.   Source:  Department for Work and Pensions Information Directorate

HOME DEPARTMENT

Assets Recovery Agency

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer to Question 64418, what progress the Assets Recovery Agency has made in meeting its targets; and if he will list completed cases, broken down by  (a) regional recovery team and  (b) value of realised receipts.

Vernon Coaker: Information on the Assets Recovery Agency's progress on completed cases and the value of realised receipts is shown in Tables 1 and 2. It is not possible to break down the Agency's figures further by region. The Agency is currently finalising its Annual Report 2005-06 which will set out progress in meeting its targets. The Report will be sent to my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary who will lay it before Parliament. Information on the current performance of police forces, including Regional Asset Recovery Teams, in obtaining orders for the recovery of criminal assets is set out in Table 3. The regional teams are not part of the Assets Recovery Agency; they are funded separately by the Home Office.
	
		
			  Assets Recovery Agency: number of completed civil recovery/tax cases Table 1 
			   Total  England and Wales  Northern Ireland 
			 2003-04 (1) (1) (1) 
			 2004-05 12 10 2 
			 2005-06(2) 23 20 3 
			 (1) There were no completed cases in 2003-04 as this was the first full operational year of the Agency.  (2 )2005-06 performance figures are to end March 2006. Final year-end performance figures are yet to be finalised. 
		
	
	
		
			  Assets Recovery Agency: value of realised assets received from civil recovery/tax cases Table 2 
			
			   Total  England and Wales  Northern Ireland 
			 2003-04 (1) (1) (1) 
			 2004-05 4,142,285.32 3,688,998.65 453,286.67 
			 2005-06(2) 4,338,513.01 3,567,952.56 770,560.45 
			 (1) There were no realised assets from completed cases in 2003-04 as this was the first full operational year of the Agency.  (2 )2005-06 performance figures are to end March 2006. Final year-end performance figures are yet to be finalised; therefore are subject to change. 
		
	
	
		
			  Value to cash forfeitures and confiscation orders obtained for the period 1 April 2005 to 31 December 2005( 1) Table 3 
			   
			  Force  Total  Regional Asset Recovery Teams contributions  Asset Recovery Agency contributions  Revised totals 
			 Avon and Somerset Constabulary 817,220.47 53,353.00 84,000.00 954,573.47 
			 Bedfordshire Police 238,146.76   238,146.76 
			 British Transport Police 100,480.00   100,480.00 
			 Cambridgeshire Constabulary 204,313.66   204,313/66 
			 Cheshire Constabulary 793,780.02   793,780.02 
			 City of London Police 1,178,371.26 307,802.28  1,486,173.54 
			 Cleveland Police 187,331,34 99,162.00  286,493.34 
			 Cumbria Constabulary 131,332,04   131,332.04 
			 Derbyshire Constabulary 313,305.11   313,305.11 
			 Devon and Cornwall Constabulary 855,578.42  17,000.00 872,578.42 
			 Dorset Police 953,272.47   953,272.47 
			 Durham Constabulary 288,533.06 650,000.00  938,533.06 
			 Dyfed-Powys Police 87,083.45 109,871.00  176,954.45 
			 Essex Police 543,273.28   543,273.28 
			 Gloucestershire Constabulary 277,488.02   277,486.02 
			 Greater Manchester Police 4,380,658.06 77,975.00 1,500.00 4,460,133.06 
			 Gwent Police 176,142.99 12,945.07  189,088.06 
			 Hampshire Constabulary 676,090.49   676,090.40 
			 Hertfordshire Constabulary 488,030.39   488,030.39 
			 Humberside Police 109,819.90 1,805.00  111,624.90 
			 Kent Police 1,150,761.50   1,150,761.50 
			 Lancashire Constabulary 912,178.47 2,626,603.86 448,307.43 3,987,089.76 
			 Leicestershire Constabulary 862,768.41   862.768.41 
			 Lincolnshire Police 575,529.15   575,529.15 
			 Merseyside Police 2,280,592.87 926,619.79  3,187,212.66 
			 Metropolitan Police Service 15,724,615.70 2,023,620.24 1,796,000.00 19,544,235.94 
			 NCS 13,928,665.28   13,928,665.28 
			 Norfolk Constabulary 3,335,048.98   3,335.048.98 
			 North Wales Police 598.373.97   598,373.97 
			 North Yorkshire Police 279,915.49   279,915.49 
			 Northamptonshire Police 514,869.23 41,640.00  556,509.23 
			 Northumbria Police 271,638.42  209,000.00 480,638.42 
			 Nottinghamshire Police 448,822.33   448,822.33 
			 Police Services of Northern Ireland 302,370.92  160,000.00 462,370.92 
			 South Wales Police 306,501.28 4,757,638.85  5,064,140.13 
			 South Yorkshire Police 997,344.15 143,298,32  1,140,642.47 
			 Staffordshire Police 576,800.64 159,238.22  736,038.86 
			 Suffolk Constabulary 579,204.82   579,204.82 
			 Surrey Police 470,913.79   470,913.79 
			 Sussex Police 1,982,343.00   1,982,343.00 
			 Thames Valley Police 630,896.12   630,896.12 
			 Warwickshire Police 24,567.10 219,125.00  243,692.10 
			 West Mercia Constabulary 1,175,363.25 17,500.00  1,192,863.25 
			 West Midlands Police 3,004,222.92 216,757.63 35,000.00 3,255,980.55 
			 West Yorkshire Police 2,985,974.50 365,705.48  3,351,679.98 
			 Wiltshire Constabulary 418,691.24   418,691.24 
			 Total 67,099,242.72 12,810,660.74 2,750,807.43 82,660,710.89 
			 (1 )Excludes orders obtained by HM Revenue and Customs and other agencies.

Conviction Rates

Edward Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions for public order offences there were in Doncaster North in  (a) 1984,  (b) 1994,  (c) 2004 and  (d) the most recent period for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: The following table shows the number of defendants convicted at all courts in Doncaster for public order offences in 1984, 1994 and 2004. 2004 is the most recent period for which data is currently available. It is not possible to identify convictions in Doncaster north as the data are not collected at that level of detail. Data for 2005 will be available in the autumn.
	
		
			  Number of defendants convicted for public order offences in courts in Doncaster petty sessional area, 1984,1994 and 2004( 1) 
			  Offence description  1984  1994  2004 
			 Rioting
			 Violent disorder  6 1 
			 Affray  28 65 
			  Note: (1)These data are provided on the principal offence basis

Criminal Records Bureau

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions since March 2004 applicant details supplied by the Criminal Records Bureau to the police led to conviction details being matched mistakenly with an applicant.

Joan Ryan: There have been 1472 occasions since March 2004 where disclosure applicant details were matched by the Criminal Records Bureau to a person with the same or similar details who has a criminal record and, where the details had been challenged by the applicant, their dispute was subsequently upheld.

Criminal Records Bureau

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to his Department was of Criminal Records Bureau applications in 2005-06.

Joan Ryan: Interim financial results for the 2005-06 Financial Year indicate the amount funded by the Home Office to be 1.78 million.

Economic Migrants (Wirral, West)

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many economic migrants there are in Wirral, West.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 11 May 2006:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question regarding how many economic migrants there are in Wirral, West. (62351)
	We are not able to provide estimates of the number of economic migrants in Wirral West, as this information is not collected.

Electronic Tagging (Providers)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the firms which provide electronic tagging of offenders for his Department.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Since 1 April 2005 electronic monitoring services in England and Wales have been provided by two companies, Group Four Securicor and Serco.

Foreign Prisoners

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether there is an official in the prison service who is responsible for foreign national prisoners; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether there is a unit in his Department with responsibility for liaison between the prison service and the Immigration and Nationality Directorate; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Different aspects of policy in relation to foreign national prisoners are the responsibility of a number of different policy units. However, the lead for policy on the management of foreign national prisoners in custody rests with the offender policy and rights unit of the national offender management service.

Internet Watch Foundation

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he made of the Internet Watch Foundation's annual report 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The Government welcome the 2005 annual report of the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), published in March 2006, and congratulates the IWF and their partners on their achievements. The IWF report an increase in the number of reports made to their hotline, from 17,255 in 2004 to 23,658 in 2005.
	This resulted in 6,128 reports being made to law enforcement agencies and other national hotlines around the world. The report also highlights the fact that only 0.4 per cent. of potentially illegal child abuse content identified by the IWF in 2005 was hosted in the UK. This represents a major improvement from 18 per cent. in 1997, and demonstrates the commitment of the IWF, the UK industry, and others, to work collaboratively to remove potentially illegal child abuse content wherever in the world it originates. The IWF report that there were no instances of either criminally obscene content or criminally racist content hosted in the UK during 2005.
	The Government also pay tribute to the IWF for supplying a list of websites to ISPs, mobile operators, search providers and filtering companies so they can play their part in protecting UK internet users from being inadvertently exposed to potentially illegal child abuse content by various blocking techniques. The fact that the IWF's core funders have grown in number to over 60 is evidence of their strengthening reputation. The IWF is seen as a highly successful model of cooperation and one which other countries seek to learn from and replicate.

Motoring Offences

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the reply 18 April 2006,  Official Report, c. 318W, on motoring offences, what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the reasons that females were convicted of offences at a higher rate than males; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The following tables which appeared in the reply to the hon. Member was subject to a processing error by the official reporters in which columns were transposed. The tables have been re-submitted.
	
		
			  Table A: Convictions at South East Essex PSA( 1 ) by sex, 1996-2004. 
			  Number of offences 
			   1996  1997  1998  1999  2000 
			  Offence  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female 
			 Brakes defective(2) 14 2 8 1 9  3  2  
			 Lighting offences(3) 156 11 133 17 146 18 78 17 112 27 
		
	
	
		
			   2001  2002  2003  2004 
			  Offence  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female 
			 Brakes defective(2)   2  2  4  
			 Lighting offences(3) 94 11 61 6 32 2 28 3 
			  Notes: (1)Data for Southend are not available but data are given for the S.E. Essex P.S.A. which covers Southend.  (2)The lighting defect data are not available broken down to the level of detail requested. Offence under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regs. 16  18 and Sch. 3; Road Traffic Act 1988 s. 41A as added the Road Traffic Act 1991 s.8.  (3)Offence under the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989; the Road Vehicle (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 1971 Reg. 19. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Convictions at magistrates' courts, by sex, Essex police force area, 1996-2004. 
			  Number of offences 
			   1996  1997  1998  1999  2000 
			  Offence  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female 
			 Brakes defective(1) 55 3 42 2 56 5 29 4 21 2 
			 Lighting offences(2) 463 45 390 32 453 53 323 50 331 51 
		
	
	
		
			   2001  2002  2003  2004 
			  Offence  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female 
			 Brakes defective(1) 24 2 19 2 18  10  
			 Lighting offences(2) 252 38 231 28 131 16 121 8 
			 (1)Offence under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regs. 1986 Regs. 16  18 and Sch. 3; Road Traffic Act 1988 s. 41A as added by the Road (2)Offence under the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989; the Road Vehicle (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 1971 Reg. 19 
		
	
	
		
			  Table C: Convictions at magistrates' courts, by sex, England and Wales, 1996-2004. 
			  Number of offences 
			   1996  1997  1998  1999  2000 
			  Offence  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female 
			 Brakes defective(1) 3,823 191 3,424 201 3,157 201 2,364 155 2,020 134 
			 Lighting offences(2) 18,404 1,548 17,425 1,621 16,977 1,676 15,638 1,610 13,019 1,423 
		
	
	
		
			   2001  2002  2003  2004 
			  Offence  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female 
			 Brakes defective(1) 1,610 99 1,376 89 1,239 75 1,070 62 
			 Lighting offences(2) 10,314 1,162 10,076 1,165 9,444 1,121 8,722 953 
			 (1)Offence under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regs. 1986 Regs. 16  18 and Sch. 3; Road Traffic Act 1988 s. 41A as added by the Road Traffic Act 1991 s. 8  (2)Offence under the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989; the Road Vehicle (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 1971 Reg. 19

National Identity Register

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the sole address permitted on the National Identity Register will be an individual's private residential address.

Joan Ryan: holding answer 8 May 2006
	An individual on registration will be required to provide his principal residential address but the Identity Cards Act 2006 also allows the registering of other addresses at which he has a place of residence, including addresses overseas. The extent to which secondary addresses may or must be registered, as with other details of the registration process, will be determined in secondary legislation.
	This will have to be approved by Parliament under the affirmative resolution procedure and full guidance will be provided to individuals registering. It is intended that all addresses registered will be residential addresses, not business or contact addresses, except potentially in exceptional cases such as persons with no fixed abode, who may only have a contact address. Section 42(10) of the Act allows regulations to be made defining these special cases.

People Trafficking

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to make it a criminal offence to pay for sex with a person who has been illegally trafficked.

Vernon Coaker: We consider that the Sexual Offences Act 2003, with its emphasis on consent freely entered into, is sufficient to prosecute men who knowingly have sex with women against their will, including women who have been illegally trafficked. The Act provides at section 74 that
	a person consents if he agrees by choice, and has the freedom and capacity to make that choice.
	If the trafficked woman is engaging in prostitution under duress then we find it difficult to see how she would be considered to be freely consenting. There are also evidential assumptions at section 75 of the Act which, if proven, will mean that the complainant is taken not to have consented and these include the use and threat of violence and unlawful detention of the victim. Furthermore, creating a further offence of paying for sex with a trafficked woman may give the appearance that it is a lesser offence than rape; it is not.
	If the woman does not freely consent to sex and if the defendant does not reasonably believe that she consents, then regardless of her occupation, it is rape.

Pornography

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's working definition of pornography is.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 27 April 2006
	There is no statutory definition of 'pornography' in UK legislation. Under the Obscene Publications Act 1959 it is a criminal offence to publish any article which is considered to be 'obscene': that is, an article, if its effect when taken as a whole, is such as to tend to 'deprave and corrupt' persons who are likely, having regard to all relevant circumstances, to read see or hear the matter contained or embodied in it.
	In the Government's recent Consultation Paper on the Possession of Extreme Pornographic Material, material which is explicit and has been solely, or primarily produced for the purpose of sexual arousal is considered to be 'pornographic'. By explicit we mean material in which the activity can be clearly seen and is not hidden, disguised or implied. In terms of regulation, we consider the harm that any type of material (whether pornography, violence, portrayal of drugs use, etc.) is likely to cause to the vulnerable, particularly children.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many existing governor grade officials in the prison service have had their status  (a) upgraded and  (b) downgraded; what proportion of these have been on a (i) temporary and (ii) permanent basis; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Over the past year, 72 operational managers were permanently upgraded and three were permanently downgraded. Over the same period 91 operational managers were temporarily upgraded and 54 reverted back to a lower grade after a period of temporary promotion.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  for what reasons the compulsory transfer may take place of prison governors to alternative establishments;
	(2)  at what level of management in the prison service the decision compulsorily to transfer prison governor grade staff to alternative establishments is taken; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Directed moves can happen for a varied number of reasons. These include for effective succession, to facilitate secondment, for disciplinary or performance reasons, career development, for certain personal and domestic circumstances, to fill new posts and to help support establishment performance tests or improvement plans.
	Directed moves of all operational managers and senior operational managers are approved at the following levels of prison service management. Decisions about the appointment and transfer of senior operational managers (senior prison governors pay bands A to D) are made at director level. Decisions about the appointment and transfer of other prison governors (more junior prison governors pay bands F and E) are usually made at area manager level (senior civil servant).

Prisons

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisons in England and Wales use hutted accommodation for inmates; and how many inmates are housed in  (a) dormitories and  (b) single rooms in each such prison.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Seven prisons hold prisoners in hutted accommodation. The huts form part of the accommodation available for prisoners at these establishments. These prisons are: Drake Hall, Ford, Haverigg, North Sea Camp, Ranby, Spring Hill and Sudbury. The number of prisoners held in dormitories and single cells/rooms accommodation at these prisons is not recorded centrally.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which prisons have  (a) a special educational needs co-ordinator and  (b) learning support assistants.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I refer the hon. Member for North- West Norfolk to the combined answer of 2 May 2006 from my hon. Friend the Member for Slough (Fiona MacTaggart) to questions 65461 and 65462,  Official Report, column 1425W, from the hon. Member for Warrington, North (Helen Jones).

Sex Offences (South Wales)

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sexual offences of  (a) rape,  (b) sexual assault,  (c) indecent assault,  (d) gross indecency and  (e) unlawful sex were reported to South Wales police in 2004-05; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The available information relates to those offences recorded by the police and is in the table. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 came into effect in May 2004. At that time, some existing offences were repealed or re-defined and new offences were created. For completeness all the appropriate offences are provided in the table. Detailed information on the changes to sexual offences is contained in the recorded crime offence list which can be found in Appendix two of 'Crime in England and Wales 2004-05', Home Office Statistical Bulletin 11/05. Appendix two can be accessed via the following link:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/hosb1105append.pdf
	
		
			  Selected recorded sexual offences for South Wales in 2004-05 
			  2004-05 
			 17 Indecent assault on a male(1) 1 
			 17A Sexual Assault on a Male aged 13 and over(2) 18 
			 17B Sexual Assault on a Male Child under 13(2) 21 
			 18 Gross indecency between males(1) 0 
			 19A Rape of a Female(1) 23 
			 19B Rape of a Male(1) 5 
			 19C Rape of a Female aged 16 and over(2) 77 
			 19D Rape of a Female child under 16(2) 46 
			 19E Rape of a Female child under 13(2) 19 
			 19F Rape of a Male aged 16 and over(2) 0 
			 19G Rape of a Male child under 16(2) 10 
			 19H Rape of a Male child under 13(2) 5 
			 20 Indecent assault on a female(1) 34 
			 20A Sexual Assault on a Female aged 13 and over(2) 259 
			 20B Sexual Assault on a Female child under 13(2) 86 
			 21 Sexual Activity involving a Child under 13(3) 24 
			 22 Unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 16(1) 6 
			 22A Causing Sexual Activity without Consent(2) 6 
			 22B Sexual Activity involving child under 16(2) 25 
			 23 Familial Sexual Offences(3) 19 
			 70 Sexual Activity etc with a person with a Mental Disorder(2) 2 
			 74 Gross indecency with a child(1) 4 
			  Notes:  As a result of the introduction of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in May 2004  (1)Offences in effect to the end of April 2004 only  (2)Offences in effect from May 2004 onwards  (3)Re-used offence codes form May 2004 onwards.

Sexual Assault Referral Centres

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the  (a) location,  (b) staffing profile and  (c) cost for the most recent year for which figures are available is of each Sexual Assault Referral Centre; what assessment he has made of the work of such centres; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is set out in the National Services Guidelines for Developing Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) published by the Home Office and Department of Health in October 2005 and available at www.homeoffice.gov.uk. SARCs were positively evaluated in Home Office Research Study 285, Sexual Assault Referral Centres: Developing Good Practice and Maximising Potentials, published in 2004. They are centres of expertise, providing an enhanced medical, forensic and therapeutic response to victims of sexual assault. The Home Office has supported the development of SARCs over the last two years through the Victims Fund, and further funding will be available to assist new SARCs in 2006-07.

Tagging Orders

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders have been prosecuted for breaking the terms of tagging curfews in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The readily available information, which relates to the number of persons breaching curfew orders (with and without electronic monitoring) is published in Table 4.13 of 'Sentencing Statistics, England and Wales', 2004 (page 92). This publication can be found in the Library and also on the Home Office website, as follows:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/hosb1505.pdf.

Uninsured Drivers

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average fine for uninsured drivers was in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: Available information taken from the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, from 1997 to 2004 (latest available), is in the following table. 2005 data will be available early in 2007.
	
		
			  Average fines imposed at all courts for the offence of using a vehicle uninsured against third party risks( 1)  England and Wales, 1997-2004 
			   Average fine () 
			 1997 224 
			 1998 214 
			 1999 212 
			 2000 203 
			 2001 150 
			 2002 155 
			 2003 160 
			 2004 169 
			 (1) Offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988 s. 143 (2).Notes:  Coverage and recording practice affecting the statistics:  1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete.  2. Since 1990, due to the delays in implementing new counting procedures, corrective action on non-keying errors was reduced resulting in deterioration in the quality of data on summary motoring proceedings.

Young Offenders

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are detained in young offenders institutions.

Gerry Sutcliffe: On 28 February 2006 there were 8,252 young adults aged 18-20 (including some 21 year olds who have not yet been reclassified as adults) and 2,726 juveniles aged 15-17 held in prison accommodation in England and Wales. 6,186 young adults were sentenced to detention under YOI rules. There were a further 1,970 young adults aged 18-20 held on remand under prison rules, and 96 young adults held as civil prisoners. There were 2,122 sentenced juveniles held under YOI rules. There were a further 599 remand juveniles held under prison rules, and five juveniles aged 15-17 held as civil prisoners. This information is as recorded on the Prison IT system, and excludes those held outside of the prison estate in secure training centres and local authority secure children's homes.

Youth Justice and Criminal Justice Act

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the research commissioned by his Department on section 41 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Justice Act will be published.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 11 May 2006
	RDS-OCJR are proposing to publish the research it commissioned on section 41 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Justice Act on 25 May 2006.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Colombia

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2006,  Official Report, column 75W, on Colombia, in what ways  (a) the UK has re-aligned its project assistance and  (b) the EU has re-aligned Commission project assistance to match the UN recommendations on Colombia.

Geoff Hoon: The UK's project assistance priorities have been aligned with the spirit of the UN human rights recommendations in Colombia since the latter were first published in 2003. We also take into account UK Project Programme Priorities, other donors' activities in Colombia and areas where the UK can add particular value through experience or expertise. In Colombia, current priorities for UK project assistance include the protection of child rights, improvements in the rule of law, protection and promotion of freedom of expression and human rights defenders, security sector reform and conflict resolution. We aim to support sustainable institutional reform, as well as the most vulnerable communities in Colombia. The Department for International Development also supports non-governmental organisations' projects in Colombia on sustainable economic development for vulnerable communities, health and education, environment, strengthening civil society and projects to help reduce poverty and inequality.
	The EU has long provided the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) office in Colombia with both political and financial support. The EU budget is currently supporting three projects that directly help respond to the needs highlighted in their recommendations, covering capacity building of state and municipal institutions responsible for human rights. Each year the EC delegation in Colombia review the UNHCHR's office's fresh recommendations in order to be able to adapt EU co-operation projects in general, especially in the human rights field.

EU Presidency

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations her Department has made to  (a) the EU Commission and  (b) the Government of Finland in their capacity as the next EU presidency on the future of the UK's veto on police and judicial affairs.

Geoff Hoon: Under the current EU treaty framework, co-operation on police and judicial matters is agreed by unanimity. That could only change to majority voting if all member states, including the UK, agree. We are aware of unofficial proposals to apply majority voting to some areas of police and judicial co-operation, but there is no formal proposal under discussion. As such, the Government have not made formal representations to the EU Commission or to the incoming EU presidency.

Iran (Military Technology Sales)

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information she has received about the role of Belarus in exporting Russian military technology to Iran, with particular reference to S-300SP surface-to-air missiles.

Geoff Hoon: We are aware of and concerned by media reports alleging Belarus has re-exported to Iran arms bought from Russia. The established policy of the EU is not to sell arms to Iran.

Israel

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of Israel's compliance with the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Geoff Hoon: Israel is not a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and is therefore not required to be in compliance with it. However, Israel has a site-specific safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which gives the IAEA access to certain nuclear sites for monitoring.

Latin America

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has received concerning the level of UK diplomatic representation in Latin America; and if she will make a statement on future plans for such representation.

Geoff Hoon: In the last two years, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has received a number of representations from members of the public, hon. Members and noble Lords concerning the level of UK diplomatic representation in Latin America. These representations have focused particularly on the closure of the British embassies in Honduras (2003), El Salvador (2003), Nicaragua (2004) and Paraguay (2005).
	On 28 March 2006, my right hon. Friend the then Foreign Secretary (Mr. Straw) launched the White Paper Active Diplomacy for a Changing World: The UK's International Priorities. This updates the December 2003 White Paper UK International Priorities: a strategy for the FCO, and sets out the Government's international priorities for the next 10 years and the FCO's strategy for delivering them. In the new White Paper we make clear that the network must change and adapt to new opportunities, risks and priorities and that opening, closing and restructuring posts is essential to maintaining our global flexibility. The new White Paper can be found on the FCO website at: http://www.fco.gov.uk/Files/kfile/fullintpriorities2006.pdf.
	We therefore continue to monitor our overseas network to ensure that our resources are deployed in line with our priorities and that we provide the best possible value for money to the taxpayer.

Mikola Kalinin

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment of the human rights conditions in Belarus she has undertaken since the recent attack on Mikola Kalinin.

Geoff Hoon: The human rights situation in Belarus remains of concern. Following the flawed Presidential elections on 19 March the Belarusian regime has moved to crack-down on the opposition and to stifle any dissent. Demonstrations have been broken up and the main opposition leaders and their key supporters have been arrested or detained. The independent press remains muzzled or has been driven underground. Non-governmental organisations are subject to harassment and their funding severely curtailed. The attack on Mikola Kalinin, an activist on Roma rights, is an example of the atmosphere of intimidation that exists for those seeking to support the fundamental freedom and right of civil society to express its concerns.
	We deplore this situation and the unjustified actions taken to prevent demonstrators, human rights campaigners and opposition leaders from exercising their right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. We support calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all those arrested for taking part in demonstrations and of those political prisoners arrested before the election. My right hon. Friend the then Minister for Europe (Douglas Alexander) did so in Vilnius on 4 May when he met the wives of the arrested opposition candidates, Milinkevich and Kazulin.

Morocco

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the aims and objectives are of UK relations with Morocco.

Geoff Hoon: My right hon. Friend the Member for Blackburn (Mr. Straw) the then Foreign Secretary visited Morocco on 13 February when he met King Mohammed VI and announced the creation of a bilateral Ministerial Dialogue Forum to take forward relations. We aim to strengthen the relationship, support the Moroccan government's plans for economic and human development, and strengthen our co-operation in areas of mutual interest and concern, including tackling the threat from international terrorism and managing the challenge presented by regional migration.

Nuclear Weapons

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Geoff Hoon: The UK believes the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) remains the cornerstone of the nuclear non-proliferation regime and the framework for nuclear disarmament. As relevant today as it was in 1965, the NPT offers the best hope of achieving a world free from nuclear weapons. That is why the UK has consistently worked to sustain the objectives and strengthen all three pillars of the treaty.

Palestinian Authority

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions her Department has had on the possible resumption of EU aid payments to the Palestinian Authority; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: We regularly have discussions with EU and Quartet partners (US, EU, UN and Russia) about assistance to the Palestinian people. We discussed funding issues at an informal meeting of international donors on 27 April in London, which all the Quartet members attended.
	We fully support the position of the Quartet and the EU on direct assistance to the Palestinian Authority (PA). On 30 March the Quartet noted with concern that the new Palestinian Government's programme did not meet the principles which the Quartet set out on 30 Januarya commitment to non-violence, recognition of Israel and acceptance of previous agreements including the roadmap. The 10 April General Affairs External Relations Council (GAERC) conclusions stated that
	the EU is reviewing its assistance to the Palestinians against the new government's commitment to the aforementioned principles. The Council recalled that the absence of such commitment will inevitably have an effect on direct assistance to that government. The EU will continue to provide necessary assistance to meet the basic needs of the Palestinian population.
	On 9 May the Quartet
	expressed its willingness to endorse a temporary international mechanism that is limited in scope and duration, operates with full transparency and accountability, and ensures direct delivery of assistance to the Palestinian people.
	We fully support this, having presented similar proposals at the informal meeting of international donors at Canada House on 27 April. The EU has been tasked with developing this mechanism. We will work closely with EU Partners to achieve this. We expect further discussion at the GAERC on 15 May. This mechanism is one of a range of things that the UK is doing to support the Palestinian people. On 9 May the Quartet also noted its willingness to work towards the restoration of international assistance to the PA Government once they have committed to the three Quartet principles.
	On 25 April the Department for International Development announced a 15 million payment to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.

Prisoners (British Citizens)

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British subjects are serving prison sentences in other EU countries.

Geoff Hoon: On 31 March 2006, British consular officials were aware of 739 British nationals detained in EU countries. The breakdown by country is shown as follows. These figures include detainees on remand, as well as those serving sentences. We do not maintain separate statistics on the numbers serving sentences.
	
		
			   Number 
			 Austria 5 
			 Belgium 31 
			 Cyprus 19 
			 Czech Republic 1 
			 Denmark 5 
			 Estonia 0 
			 Finland 0 
			 France 96 
			 Germany 152 
			 Greece 11 
			 Hungary 1 
			 Ireland 79 
			 Italy 18 
			 Latvia 0 
			 Lithuania 0 
			 Luxembourg 4 
			 Malta 5 
			 Netherlands 37 
			 Poland 1 
			 Portugal 23 
			 Slovakia 0 
			 Slovenia 0 
			 Spain 233 
			 Sweden 18

Russia

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the Russian government on racism and racial violence.

Geoff Hoon: Ministers and staff at our Embassy in Moscow regularly raise human rights issues with the Russian government in the course of their continuous contacts. We also work closely with non-governmental organisations in Russia on this issue. Our Ambassador in Moscow most recently raised our concerns about racially motivated crimes in Russia with members of the Russian Presidential Administration in April 2006. Racism was also an important issue discussed at the EU/Russia Human Rights consultation in March 2006. The EU and Russian delegations taking part also undertook a study tour of the European Centre on Racism and Xenophobia prior to the human rights consultations.

Russia

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the government of Russia on the use of torture in Chechnya.

Geoff Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the then Minister for Europe (Douglas Alexander) gave him on 27 February 2006,  Official Report, column 312W. Following this answer, my predecessor had further discussions on the human rights situation in Chechnya with his Russian counterpart during his visit to Moscow in March 2006.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Alcohol-Related Conditions

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 18 April 2006,  Official Report, column 461W, on alcohol-related conditions, how many people were admitted to each acute hospital in Northern Ireland where the primary or secondary diagnosis was an alcohol-related condition in each of the last three years for which data are available.

Paul Goggins: The number of individuals admitted is not available. However, the number of admissions(1) to acute hospital in Northern Ireland where the primary or secondary diagnosis was for an alcohol-related condition for each of the last three financial years is available and is presented in the following table.
	(1) Discharges and deaths are used as an approximation to admissions. It is possible that any individual could be admitted to hospital more than once in any year and will thus be counted more than once as an admission.
	For this answer an acute hospital has been identified as one where services in the acute programme of care are provided.
	
		
			   Financial year 
			  Hospital  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Belfast City 884 720 781 
			 Musgrave Park 5 7 5 
			 Belvoir Park 8 20 12 
			 Forster Green 5 5 0 
			 Ards 5 5 11 
			 Ulster 466 553 717 
			 Bangor 5 6 5 
			 Royal Victoria 1,068 1,149 1,121 
			 RBHSC 12 5 7 
			 Mater 594 587 549 
			 Lagan Valley 158 153 166 
			 Downe 256 228 232 
			 Robinson Memorial 0 5 0 
			 Dalriada 5 5 5 
			 Causeway 289 283 315 
			 Moyle 5 5 5 
			 Whiteabbey 179 202 196 
			 Mid Ulster 253 216 280 
			 Antrim 463 549 580 
			 Braid Valley 0 5 5 
			 South Tyrone 0 0 5 
			 Lurgan 7 5 5 
			 Craigavon 549 597 639 
			 Daisy Hill 314 313 383 
			 Altnagelvin 671 599 730 
			 Erne 67 66 55 
			 Tyrone County 184 192 223 
			 NI Total 6,439 6,458 7,012 
			  Source:  Hospital Inpatient System

Ballybeen

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much he expects Ballybeen to receive from the recently announced funding for deprived Loyalist and Unionist areas; and what impact he expects the funding to have.

David Hanson: On 4 April, I brought forward the Renewing Communities Action Plan, a copy of which is available in the Library. Officials are currently working to implement the measures announced in the action plan, and I would anticipate that the residents of the Ballybeen area will benefit from a range of measures in the action plan.
	The Government remain committed to tackling disadvantage and the Renewing Communities Action Plan is an indication of this commitment.

Blue Badge Scheme

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland were found to be abusing the blue badge scheme in 2005.

Paul Goggins: According to Police Service of Northern Ireland records, 14 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) were issued for 'wrongful use of a disabled person's badge' during 2005 while 2107 FPNs were issued for the offence of 'parking in a disabled person's parking space'.

Boundary Commission

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the expected timetable is of the Parliamentary Boundary Commission review of Northern Ireland's constituencies.

David Hanson: Independent Assistant Commissioners appointed by the Secretary of State conducted three public local inquiries in September 2005 into the Commission's published Provisional Recommendations for Parliamentary constituencies. The Commission places importance on the reports of the assistant Commissioners and their recommendations and intend to make an announcement shortly having taken into account those recommendations and all the evidence available to them. The Commission is required to complete their review and submit a report with recommendations to the Secretary of State by June 2007.

Civil Service (Disciplinary Procedures)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff in the Northern Ireland Civil Service  (a) have received a written warning,  (b) have received a final written warning,  (c) have reached the trigger points of a written warning but have not received a written warning and  (d) have reached the trigger points of a final written warning but have not received a final written warning since the introduction of the Trigger Points Prompting Consideration of Warnings for Sickness Absence on 31 March 2004.

David Hanson: The following table sets out the numbers of non-industrial and industrial staff who have received written and final written warnings in the two years since 31 March 2004.
	
		
			  Staff receiving a written warning and a final written warning 
			   Written warning  Final written warning 
			 Non-industrial staff 1,759 207 
			 Industrial staff 244 79 
		
	
	Full information on the number of staff who have reached the trigger points but not received a written warning is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The number of non-industrial staff who reached a trigger point during the year 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005 and did not receive a warning is 5,996.
	It should be noted that when trigger points are reached, the absentee does not automatically receive a written warning. Trigger points are a mechanism used as a prompt for Departments to give consideration to the case. The Department will consider a range of factorswhich is not exhaustivethat may be relevant to whether a warning should issue including:
	nature of the illness;
	frequency/pattern of absences;
	prior attendance record;
	any previous warnings and their proximity;
	whether the officer is within their probation period;
	circumstances relevant to the Disability Discrimination Act;
	pregnancy related absences occurring during the protected period; and
	any mitigating circumstances presented by the line manager or officer concerned.
	Where appropriate, when considering the issue of a warning, the Department will also consult with the welfare officer and the occupational health service.
	There are no specific trigger points for the consideration of a final written warning. Where there has been no significant or sustained improvement following the issue of a written warning, the Department will consider the case holistically, taking account of the factors as listed above.

Class Sizes

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average class size was in each  (a) grammar school and  (b) other secondary school in Northern Ireland in each of the past 10 years.

Maria Eagle: The requested information in respect of grammar and other secondary schools was not collected at the time, and any attempt to do so retrospectively would be problematic and could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Community Differentials

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he has taken to ensure a consistent approach to social considerations between the Procurement Board and the Strategic Investment Board.

David Hanson: The Procurement Board has approved guidance for Northern Ireland Departments on the integration of social considerations into the procurement process. The Strategic Investment Board Limited operates within that guidance in providing advice and guidance to Departments on strategic projects. The Procurement Board has also established a working group to develop further guidance on integrating social policy considerations into Public- Private Partnership procurement and SIB Limited is represented on this group.

Community Differentials

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the 20 most deprived wards in Northern Ireland are; and what percentage of the population of each are of  (a) Catholic and  (b) Protestant background.

David Hanson: The Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measure 2005 report details levels of deprivation in 890 Super Output Areas covering Northern Ireland. The 20 most deprived Super Output Areas in Northern Ireland along with information on community background levels of each area from the 2001 Census are given in the following table.
	
		
			  20 most deprived super output areas 
			 Community background (2001 Census) 
			  Ranking  Local government district  Super output area  Percentage Catholic  Percentage Protestant and other Christian 
			  Most deprived 
			 1 Belfast Whiterock 2 99 1 
			 2 Belfast Shankill 2 3 94 
			 3 Belfast Falls 2 97 3 
			 4 Belfast Crumlin 2 5 92 
			 5 Belfast Whiterock 3 99 0 
			 6 Belfast Falls 3 98 2 
			 7 Belfast Shankill 1 3 95 
			 8 Belfast New Lodge 2 99 1 
			 9 Belfast New Lodge 1 95 4 
			 10 Belfast Ballymacarrett 3 3 94 
			 11 Derry Creggan Central 1 99 1 
			 12 Belfast Upper Springfield 3 97 3 
			 13 Belfast Ardoyne 3 98 1 
			 14 Belfast Falls 1 96 3 
			 15 Belfast New Lodge 3 98 2 
			 16 Derry Brandywell 99 1 
			 17 Belfast Duncairn 1 6 90 
			 18 Belfast Woodvale 3 4 94 
			 19 Belfast Crumlin 1 2 96 
			 20 Belfast Ardoyne 2 96 3

Conference Organisation Review

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who is conducting the recently announced review of the organisation of conferences requiring input from senior Northern Ireland civil servants; what the terms of reference for the review are; what stage the review has reached; and what discussions the review team have had with senior civil servants as part of the review.

David Hanson: I am not aware of any recently announced review of the organisation of conferences requiring input from senior Northern Ireland civil servants.

Departmental Entertainment

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent on entertainment by his Department in 2004-05; and how much of that sum is accounted for by  (a) food,  (b) alcohol,  (c) staff and  (d) accommodation.

Peter Hain: The information requested by the hon. Lady is not available in the format requested. The information requested is captured under hospitality, which includes food, alcohol and other related costs. The amount spent on hospitality by the Northern Ireland Office, excluding its Agencies and NDPBs, in 2004-05 was 258,436.
	All expenditure of official hospitality is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in Government Accounting. The level of hospitality must be defined, and a broad outline of cost and numbers attending must be provided on all occasions before authorisation. Expenditure should be kept as low as possible, compatible with the occasion and the standing of guests.
	A necessary pre-condition for any entertainment or hospitality to be financed from NIO funds is that it will be in the direct interests of the Northern Ireland Office. While one cannot always guarantee that the benefit will be achieved, that must be both the intention and the reasonable expectation.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many days sick leave were taken  (a) in total and  (b) as a result of stress in (i) each Department in Northern Ireland and (ii) the Northern Ireland office in each of the last three years, broken down by grade.

David Hanson: Information reflecting the total number of days sickness absence and those attributable to psychiatric/psychological illnesses for non-industrial grades will be placed in the Library.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in  (a) each Northern Ireland department and  (b) the Northern Ireland Office have been disciplined for using work telephones to access premium rate numbers in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: Only one officer in the core Northern Ireland Civil Service Departments and the NIO has been disciplined in the last five years for accessing premium rate numbers using a work telephone to access a premium rate number.
	The officer is an employee of DARD and was disciplined in 2001.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in  (a) each Department in Northern Ireland and  (b) the Northern Ireland Office have been (i) disciplined and (ii) dismissed for inappropriate use of the internet while at work in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: The number of staff in the core NICS Departments and the Northern Ireland Office who have been disciplined for inappropriate use of the internet while at work during the period 2001 to date is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Department  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 DARD 0 6 6 3 7 0 
			 DCAL 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 DE 0 2 1 0 0 0 
			 DEL 0 0 0 0 4 0 
			 DETI 0 2 1 1 0 1 
			 DFP 0 1 3 0 0 0 
			 DHSSPS 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 DOE 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 DRD 0 2 6 0 0 0 
			 DSD 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 NIO(1)0 0 0 
			 OFMDFM 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 (1) NIO staff did not have access to the internet until 2004 
		
	
	One officer in the NICS Core Departments and NIO has been dismissed for inappropriate use of the internet while at work during the period 2001 to date. This officer, who was an employee of DARD, was dismissed in 2004.

DXA Scanning

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average waiting time was in Northern Ireland in March  (a) 2003,  (b) 2004,  (c) 2005 and  (d) 2006 for a bone density (DXA) scan.

Paul Goggins: The following table shows the average waiting time for a bone density (DXA) scan in all Trusts which provide this service in Northern Ireland.
	
		
			  Average waiting time for a bone density (DXA) scan 
			  HSS Trust  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Belfast City(1) 9-11 months 12-14 months 2-3 months 2-3 months 
			 Altnagelvin Less than 2 weeks 
			 Green Park GP referral5 months, hospital consultant referral2 months 
			 Sperrin Lakeland 3-4 months for non urgent, 1 week for urgent 
			 Craigavon Area Not available Not available Not available 25 weeks 
			 (1) Waiting time at 31 March   Source:  Health and Social Service Trusts 
		
	
	In addition to the above, the Royal Belfast hospital for Sick Children (RBHSC) provide bone density (DXA) scans. There is no waiting time for these scans as patients are given an appointment or seen on the day.

Essential Car Users (Health Service)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what categories of Health Service employees have qualified as essential car users in each year since 2000; and what mileage allowance was payable to each category of essential car user in each year.

Paul Goggins: Community Nurses, Midwives, Health Visitors, Social Workers, Chief Executives, Senior Executives and Senior Managers working in the Health and Personal Social Services are classified as essential car users. In determining the level of mileage allowance there are four options available to an HPSS employer: a leased car; a regular user allowance; standard mileage rate, or public transport rate depending on certain conditions being met. The mileage rates payable under each category have been in force since April 2000 and are as set out below:
	 Regular user allowances.
	Regular user allowances are paid to employees who are designated by their employer as an essential car user, but it is uneconomic or not possible to offer a leased car, and where in the course of their employment they are required to travel either:
	i. An average of more than 3,500 miles a year or
	ii. An average of at least 1,250 miles a year and uses their car on average three days a week or spend 50% of their time on travel or
	iii. An average of at least 1,000 miles a year and use their car on average four days a week.
	The current rates payable for a regular user are in the following table:
	
		
			  Engine capacity  Up to 1000cc  1001cc to 1500cc  Over 1500cc 
			 Lump sum 508 626 760 
			 Up to 9000 miles 27p 33.5p 40p 
			 Thereafter 16.2p 18.3p 20.5p 
		
	
	 Standard rates.
	Standard mileage rates are paid to employees who use their own vehicle for official business but do not satisfy the criterion for a regular user. The current rates payable for standard mileage are as in the following table:
	
		
			  Engine Capacity  Up to 1000cc  1001cc to 1500cc  Over 1500cc 
			 Up to 3,500 miles 34p 43p 53p 
			 Thereafter 16.2p 18.3p 20.5p 
		
	
	 Public transport mileage rate.
	Public transport mileage is payable at 23p per mile where the employer deems that standard or regular user rates do not apply.

Essential Car Users (Health Service)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans the Government have to change the mileage allowance payable to each category of essential car users in the health service; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The Executive of the NHS staff council will undertake a review of all mileage rates payable to NHS staff as part of their work programme for the 2006-07 year. The outcome of this review will be applicable to health and personal social services staff in Northern Ireland.

EU Funding

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much EU income was secured in each of the last 10 financial years for projects emanating from Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: Details of EU income by structural fund are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  EU structural fund income 
			   million 
			   European regional development fund (ERDF)  European social fund (ESF)  European agricultural guidance and fisheries fund (EAGGF)  Financial instrument for fisheries guidance (FIFG) 
			 2005-06 133.065 24.884 28.284 0.445 
			 2004-05 30.439 42.900 15.981 4.783 
			 2003-04 127.184 2.844 1.754 3.734 
			 2002-03 74.088 39.958 0.000 0.000 
			 2001-02 95.112 43.203 5.449 1.282 
			 2000-01 98.898 78.723 0.768 0.511 
			 1999-2000 33.277 61.628 38.892 3.993 
			 1998-99 115.803 15.121 12.585 2.151 
			 1997-98 61.114 68.819 22.159 4.681 
			 1996-97 188.573 81.060 28.333 0.711 
			  Notes:  1. The question has been interpreted as referring to structural funds and the answer refers to these only.  2. Amounts for 2005-06 financial year are estimated and subject to confirmation.

EU Funding

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much EU money was  (a) allocated and  (b) expended in respect of each source of EU funding in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 financial years.

David Hanson: Details of each of the EU Structural Fund financial allocations and expenditure are shown in the following Tables A and B showing details by Structural Fund .
	The question has been interpreted as referring to Structural Funds and the answer refers to these only.
	The allocation amounts to Northern Ireland are made by the Commission in Euro by calendar year. These have been converted to financial years assuming an even spend over the four quarters and to Sterling at a notional rate of 1.55 = 1.00
	Allocations for the Interreg III cross-border programme have been omitted, as these allocations are not made separately by jurisdiction.
	Amounts for 2005-06 financial year are estimated outturn and subject to confirmation.
	
		
			  Table A: EU Structural Fund Allocations 
			   Fund  Allocated ( million)(1= 1.55) 
			 2005-06 ERDF 37.154 
			  ESF 34.692 
			  EAGGF 10.114 
			  FIFG 3.483 
			 2004-05 ERDF 78.190 
			  ESF 41.398 
			  EAGGF 12.910 
			  FIFG 3.511 
			 2003-04 ERDF 94.206 
			  ESF 41.896 
			  EAGGF 13.243 
			  FIFG 3.517 
			 2002-03 ERDF 95.125 
			  ESF 44.669 
			  EAGGF 12.976 
			  FIFG 3.467 
			 2001-02 ERDF 98.743 
			  ESF 45.304 
			  EAGGF 12.556 
			  FIFG 1.758 
			 2000-01 ERDF 113.598 
			  ESF 44.657 
			  EAGGF 9.519 
			  FIFG 0.709 
			 1999-2000 ERDF 254.547 
			  ESF 113.220 
			  EAGGF 26.309 
			  FIFG 6.119 
			 1998-99 ERDF 131.762 
			  ESF 89.014 
			  EAGGF 24.644 
			  FIFG 3.552 
			 1997-98 ERDF 85.105 
			  ESF 67.303 
			  EAGGF 23.494 
			  FIFG 1.906 
			 1996-97 ERDF 84.773 
			  ESF 50.434 
			  EAGGF 18.493 
			  FIFG 1.860 
			  Notes: European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) European Social Fund (ESF) European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG)  Source:  Northern Ireland Programme financial tables documents for 1994-99 and 2000-06 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: EU Structural Fund Expenditure 
			   Fund  Expended ( million) 
			 2005-06 ERDF 100.075 
			  ESF 63.908 
			  EAGGF 19.682 
			  FIFG 2.373 
			 2004-05 ERDF 108.570 
			  ESF 72.012 
			  EAGGF 13.570 
			  FIFG 1.829 
			 2003-04 ERDF 104.365 
			  ESF 63.056 
			  EAGGF 1.776 
			  FIFG 3.667 
			 2002-03 ERDF 53.333 
			  ESF 28.303 
			  EAGGF 4.088 
			  FIFG 3.703 
			 2001-02 ERDF 93.441 
			  ESF 39.841 
			  EAGGF 3.544 
			  FIFG 0.853 
			 2000-01 ERDF 94.202 
			  ESF 83.863 
			  EAGGF 12.737 
			  FIFG 2.319 
			 1999-2000 ERDF 136.901 
			  ESF 102.039 
			  EAGGF 13.520 
			  FIFG 2.287 
			 1998-99 ERDF 93.155 
			  ESF 74.227 
			  EAGGF 10.865 
			  FIFG 3.516 
			 1997-98 ERDF 109.566 
			  ESF 48.706 
			  EAGGF 31.792 
			  FIFG 1.457 
			 1996-97 ERDF 93.678 
			  ESF 40.791 
			  EAGGF 29.972 
			  FIFG 2.341 
			  Notes: European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) European Social Fund (ESF) European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG)  Source:  Northern Ireland Main Estimates publication

Film and Television Commission

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the recent comments of the Northern Ireland Film and Television Commission on the quantity of drama based in Northern Ireland produced by the BBC.

Maria Eagle: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and I both consider that we need to have more film and television drama produced in Northern Ireland and are directly involved in initiatives with the commission and a range of broadcasters that aim to increase the opportunities for actors, writers, directors and recording crew in the region.

Flags

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many flags have been taken down since the protocol on flags was agreed between the Police Service of Northern Ireland and departments; and if he will list the flags concerned, broken down by type.

Paul Goggins: The number of flags removed is shown in the tables. The protocol requires that numbers of flags are recorded as per the categories shown. The type of flag is not recorded.
	
		
			  DCU  Number of flags removed further to consultation/ negotiation  Where consultation/ negotiation has not led to agreed outcome  Where PSNI independently and unilaterally have determined the display of a flag is such to justify enforcement without consultation/negotiation 
			  Urban region
			 Antrim 10 0 3 
			 North Down 101 0 31 
			 Carrickfergus 7 0 6 
			 Castlereagh 56 0 0 
			 East Belfast 34 28 0 
			 Larne See note below See note below 0 
			 Lisburn See note below See note below 39 
			 Newtownabbey 30 5 0 
			 Ards 3 0 0 
			 North Belfast 4 0 0 
			 South Belfast 68 14 0 
			 West Belfast 0 26 0 
			 Total 313 73 79 
		
	
	
		
			  DCU  Number of flags removed further to consultation/ negotiation  Where consultation/ negotiation has not led to agreed outcome  Where PSNI independently and unilaterally have determined the display of a flag is such to justify enforcement without consultation/negotiation 
			  Rural region
			 Armagh 1 0 0 
			 Ballymena 26 0 0 
			 Ballymoney 26 0 0 
			 Banbridge 40 15 0 
			 Coleraine 42 0 0 
			 Cookstown 3 0 0 
			 Craigavon 550 2 0 
			 Down 14 0 1 
			 Dungannon 5 0 0 
			 Fermanagh 5 0 0 
			 Foyle 39 0 0 
			 Limavady 72 0 13 
			 Magherafelt 60 3 1 
			 Moyle 4 3 0 
			 Newry 0 24 0 
			 Omagh 2 0 0 
			 Strabane 4 0 0 
			 Total 893 47 15 
			  Notes:  1. Figures are not available in the form requested for Larne and Lisburn DCUs.  2. Larne DCU had 300 paramilitary flags erected during 2004, but only 13 in 2005. The number of flags removed in relation to the protocol has not been quantified.  3. In Lisburn DCU residents groups, individual residents or other groups removed a number of flags voluntarily. The number of flags was not quantified.

Foreign Prisoners

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what consultation has taken place between his Department and the Home Office in relation to the deportation and removal of foreign national prisoners announced on 3 May.

Paul Goggins: Officials from the Northern Ireland Prison Service have been in regular contact with senior management in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate since the announcements in relation to the deportation and removal of foreign national prisoners in England and Wales on 26 April.
	Two senior IND officials visited Belfast on 5 May for detailed discussions with the Northern Ireland Prison Service. Instructions have been issued to Northern Ireland Prison Service governors requiring them to ensure that the IND is appropriately notified by the Prison Service in relation to unconvicted remand and sentenced prisoners who declare themselves to be foreign nationals (excluding Irish nationals).

House Values

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate how many homes in Northern Ireland have been valued at over 1 million.

David Hanson: The Valuation and Lands Agency is completing a revaluation of all domestic properties in Northern Ireland. Valuations for this purpose are subject to certain statutory assumptions. The valuation date for this revaluation is 1 January 2005 and the number of houses valued at over l million, as at that date, is 145.
	The Agency is now carrying out a quality assurance value review process that may result in change to some property value assessments. The total number of properties in this category may therefore change slightly, up or down.

Independent Monitoring Commission

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 18 April 2006,  Official Report, column 485W, on the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC)' whether when meeting the IMC he discussed its definition of criminality.

Paul Goggins: At meetings with the Commissioners of the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC), the Secretary of State has discussed a range of matters connected with its remit as defined in the agreement that established the IMC. It is not Government policy to disclose the nature or details of such discussions.

Infection Control

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funding was allocated by the Department for Health, Social Services and Public Safety for the implementation of the action plan for the prevention and control of health care-associated infections in Northern Ireland between 2006 and 2009 in each  (a) health board area and  (b) health trust; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety is allocating 400,000 to health and social services board on a capitation basis in 2006-07 for elements of its action plan Changing the Culture, such as mandatory staff training and a hand hygiene campaign. The eastern health and social services board will receive 160,000, the northern health and social services board 97,000, the southern health and social services board 74,000, and the western health and social services board 69,000. A further sum of 150,000 will be made available in each of the next three years to health trusts for regional surveillance co-ordination and enhanced infection control arrangements etc. Allocations will be determined later this year on the advice of the new regional infection prevention and control steering group. Boards and trusts are also being required to reprioritise resources to ensure the action plan's full implementation.

Ministerial Cars (Fuel Costs)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the fuel costs were for ministerial cars used by his Department in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: For the last financial year 2005-06, the total fuel cost for ministerial vehicles in Northern Ireland was 10,159.16. Figures for the previous years would require a manual trawl of records and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Ministerial Residences

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the running costs were of each Government-owned residence used by Northern Ireland Ministers in each of the last five years.

Peter Hain: Hillsborough Castle is a government owned residence, and when in Northern Ireland I reside there. The facilities at the Castle are also used to provide official hospitality and overnight accommodation for members of the Royal Family, visiting dignitaries and diplomats. Other activities at the Castle include departmental meetings, the annual garden party, and citizenship ceremonies. In addition to its use by the Northern Ireland Office and other Government Departments, charities and local community groups can request to use the facilities, generally for fund raising purposes, and the Castle and grounds are open at certain times of the year for guided tours.
	The total cost of running Hillsborough Castle in each of the last five years was:
	
		
			
			 2005-06 1,726,173.74 
			 2004-05 1,426,105.94 
			 2003-04 1,334,167.48 
			 2002-03 1,451,707.46 
			 2001-02 1,205,796.11 
		
	
	These costs include the maintenance of the listed building and grounds; the security of the castle and its grounds, and that of Ministers, officials and visitors while present at the castle. It also includes the cost of hosting the events listed above, as well as catering, hospitality and administration.

Party funding

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list leaders of political parties in Northern Ireland to whom he has written seeking their views on the funding of political parties; on what date those letters were sent; and what responses have been received.

David Hanson: The Secretary of State wrote to the following leaders of the political parties in Northern Ireland on 30 March to seek their views on the Lord Chancellor's proposals to regulate the reporting of loans to political parties:
	Sir Reg Empey, MLA, Ulster Unionist Party
	Mark Durkan, MP, MLA, SDLP
	Gerry Adams, MP, MLA, Sinn Fein
	David Ford, MLA, Alliance Party
	Dr. Ian Paisley, MP, MLA, Democratic Unionist Party
	Robert McCartney, MLA, UKUP
	David Ervine, MLA, Progressive Unionist Party.
	Sinn Fein are the only party, to date, who have replied.

Police

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost was of  (a) training and  (b) recruiting police constables in Northern Ireland in the last year for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: In respect of  (a) the cost of training police constables in Northern Ireland:
	I am advised there were 10 training courses in the financial year 2005-06, with a total cost of 3,311,081.15. Each course had 44 students with a course duration of 105 days. The cost per student in that year was 7,525.18.
	In respect of  (b) recruiting police constables in Northern Ireland:
	I am advised that the recruiting costs for year 2005-06 are still being processed; therefore an accurate figure cannot be presented at this time.
	The total recruitment cost for the financial year 2004-05 was 5,071,988. This figure represents regular police trainee recruitment.

Road Safety

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many police vehicles in Northern Ireland were involved in road traffic accidents in each of the last three years.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Police road traffic collisions 
			   2003  2004  2005 
			 Major collisions 469 391 329 
			 Minor collisions 289 341 203 
			 Slight contact 0 83 366 
			 Total collisions 758 815 898 
			  Note:  Collisions include those caused by police and members of the public.

Road Safety

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were killed as a result of road traffic accidents in Northern Ireland in  (a) 1995 and  (b) 2005.

Shaun Woodward: The information requested is contained in the following table:
	
		
			  Numbers of deaths caused by road traffic accidents 
			  Road user type  1995  2005 
			 Pedestrians 47 28 
			 Drivers of motor vehicles 48 66 
			 Motorcyclists 8 14 
			 Pedal cyclists 4 4 
			 Passengers 36 22 
			 Pillion passengers 1 1 
			 Total 144 135

Child Protection

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people resident in Northern Ireland are on the Register of Sex Offenders; and in how many of those cases the police do not know the offender's current residential address.

David Hanson: On 28 April 2006, 644 people in Northern Ireland were subject to the notification requirements of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and in 17 of these cases the police do not have a current residential address. This represents a compliance rate of over 97 per cent.
	In line with the Police Service of Northern Ireland's zero tolerance policy on breaches of the notification requirements of the Sexual Offences Act, all offenders who do not comply are pursued and reported to the Public Prosecution Service with a view to prosecution.

Single Parents

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many single parents in each constituency in Northern Ireland are claiming state benefits; and how much was paid to them in the last period for which figures are available.

David Hanson: The following table shows the number of lone parents of working age claiming at least one key benefit by parliamentary constituency. The information is taken at May 2005.
	
		
			  Parliamentary constituency  Number of lone parents  Total weekly benefit paid () 
			 Belfast East 1,880 223,548.00 
			 Belfast North 4,160 552,699.80 
			 Belfast South 1,900 260,874.60 
			 Belfast West 5,600 787,460.00 
			 East Antrim 1,420 174,080.20 
			 East Londonderry 1,800 189,378.20 
			 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 1,560 171,528.20 
			 Foyle 4,620 600,684.80 
			 Lagan Valley 1,420 190,311.40 
			 Mid Ulster 1,880 225,399.00 
			 Newry And Armagh 2,260 330,262.80 
			 North Antrim 1,740 197,001.60 
			 North Down 940 90,792.40 
			 South Antrim 1,680 193,186.40 
			 South Down 1,900 251,842.40 
			 Strangford 1,480 140,660.40 
			 Upper Bann 2,460 280,297.40 
			 West Tyrone 2,380 287,715.80 
			 Unknown 280 40,216.80 
			 Total 41,360 5,187,940 
			  Notes:  1. Key benefits are jobseeker's allowance, incapacity benefit, severe disablement allowance, disability living allowance and income support. Pension credit for males aged 60 to 64.  2. Partner and dependent details were not available for all benefits. 
		
	
	In addition to the benefits mentioned above, single parents can also receive tax credits and child benefit. Although not social security benefits, they offer financial support to in-work families or families with children. Figures at a parliamentary constituency level are not available but as of April 2006 34,500 in-work single parents in Northern Ireland were receiving tax credit.
	A breakdown of lone parents receiving child benefit is unavailable.

Student Finances

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether changes are proposed in the eligibility criteria for  (a) student funding support and  (b) student loans for graduate students wishing to undertake a further degree course; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: Government's student finance priority is to help undergraduate students, particularly the less well off, to achieve a primary degree.
	Consequently, graduate students undertaking a further degree course are not eligible for fee support and maintenance grants and there are no proposed changes to these eligibility criteria.
	In the case of student loans for maintenance, from academic year 2006-07 under revised previous study rules, these will be available only to graduate students who do not have an honours degree, except for certain designated courses, for example medicine, dentistry and social work, and on a basis that takes account of time spent on previous study.

Travellers' Camps

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to tackle unauthorised travellers' camps on commercial and private lands.

David Hanson: The Unauthorised Encampments (Northern Ireland) Order 2005, which was made at Privy Council on 19 July 2005, gives the police greater powers to deal with unauthorised encampments. However the order cannot be fully effective until sufficient sites for Travellers are available. Responsibility for providing such sites falls to the Housing Executive and I am pressing it to ensure the necessary sites are available as soon as possible. I anticipate that five sites will be operational by the summer by which time I will review the situation with a view to enabling the necessary provisions. I believe this represents a fair and balanced approach.

Wind Turbines

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has received from health trusts in Northern Ireland wishing to provide electricity generated by wind turbines on their sites.

Paul Goggins: Government are fully committed to sustainable development in Northern Ireland as demonstrated by the Sustainable Development Strategy for Northern Ireland launched on 9 May by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. The strategy places a statutory duty on all Northern Ireland Government Departments and district councils to act in a matter which contributes to sustainable development.
	In addition, health and social services trusts are already required to consider options for sustainable energy including wind turbine generation, as part of the business case process, for new capital developments. Currently, wind turbine electricity generation is being considered for the Downe and South West hospital developments.
	The United Hospitals Health and Social Services Trust has installed and is successfully operating a wind turbine electricity generator on the Antrim hospital site.

Wind Turbines

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much Antrim hospital has saved in electricity costs as a result of the wind turbine in operation at the site.

Paul Goggins: The Antrim hospital of the United Hospitals health and social services trust has reduced its payments to the supply authority by a total of 62,437.26, excluding VAT, for the period February 2005 to April 2006 inclusive, as a result of the investment in the wind turbine.

HEALTH

Abortion/Assisted Suicide

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when her Department's policy on  (a) abortion and  (b) assisted suicide was devised; which organisations and individuals were consulted; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Parliament has decided that abortions may lawfully be carried out in the circumstances specified in the Abortion Act 1967, as amended by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990.
	The Department most recently set out its policy on sexual health, including abortion, in the National Strategy for Sexual Health and HIV in 2001, and associated documents, which are available from the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk. In addition, recommended quality standards for the provision of abortion services are included in Recommended Standards for Sexual Health Services, published in March 2005. The strategy was subject to a public consultation exercise.
	Assisting a person in committing suicide is unlawful under the Suicide Act 1961 and is subject to a penalty of up to 14 years imprisonment. The Government have no plans to change this legislation. Any proposals to change the law would be dealt with as a matter of conscience.

Animal-based Insulin

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to Question 53473, on animal-based insulin, tabled by the hon. Member for St. Albans for answer on 27 February.

Andy Burnham: A reply was given on 23 March.

BCG Vaccinations

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2006,  Official Report, columns 1069-70W, on BCG vaccinations, by what criteria the annual allocation to primary care trusts in relation to the funding of the Bacille Calmette Guerin vaccination against tuberculosis is made; what allocation was given to Wandsworth primary care trust in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The funding for Bacille Camette Guerin (BCG) vaccination is included in the unified primary care trust (PCT) revenue allocations that cover the full range of services commissioned by PCTs. It is for PCTs to decide how their allocations can be used in the most effective way.

Binge Drinking

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions she has had with the Portman group on appropriate actions to reduce the incidence of binge drinking; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Government are working with alcohol producers at a national level to increase corporate social responsibility, which includes the promotion of sensible drinking and actions to reduce the incidence of binge drinking.
	The industry launched its social responsibility standards in November 2005 and the Government have been working with the Portman Group and other industry stakeholders on the implementation of these standards.
	In addition, the Government have been working with the Portman Group and other stakeholders to establish a national producers' fund, as set out in the alcohol harm reduction strategy. This is a fund from the alcohol industry to pay for new schemes to tackle alcohol related harm including the incidence of binge drinking.

Branded Drug Supplies

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact on patient care and treatment of the adequacy of the supply of branded drugs in England.

Andy Burnham: No overall assessment has been made. However, the Department works closely with the pharmaceutical industry to resolve medicine supply problems, to help ensure that patients continue to receive the medicines they need.

Care Homes

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many  (a) nursing and  (b) residential homes there were in (i) England and (ii) Beverley and Holderness in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how many long-term beds there were in  (a) residential and  (b) nursing homes in (i) England and (ii) Beverley and Holderness in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Table one shows the number of care homes and places in England and the area of East Riding, as at 31 March for the years 1997 to 2001. Data for Beverley and Holderness constituency are not available.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of care homes and places in England and the East Riding area at 31 March 1997 to 2001 
			   England  East Riding area 
			   Residential  Nursing  Total  Residential( 1,4)  Nursing( 2,3)  Total 
			  Homes   
			 1997 22,900 5,900 28,900 360 50 410 
			 1998 22,800 6,200 29,000 350 60 400 
			 1999 22,600 6,100 28,700 370 60 420 
			 2000 22,400 5,900 28,300 350 50 400 
			 2001 21,800 5,700 27,500 340 50 390 
			
			  Places   
			 1997 338,100 196,300 534,400 6,200 1,900 8,000 
			 1998 347,900 205,600 553,500 6,100 2,100 8,200 
			 1999 344,000 202,200 546,200 6,600 1,900 8,400 
			 2000 345,900 193,300 539,200 6,400 1,800 8,200 
			 2001 341,200 186,800 528,000 6,500 1,600 8,100 
			 (1) Residential data is for Kingston upon Hull and East Riding unitary authorities.  (2) Nursing data is for East Riding and Hull health authority.  (3) Nursing data includes places in general nursing homes, mental nursing homes and private hospitals and clinics.  (4) Data on the number of residential care homes excludes dual registered homes as they are included under nursing homes.   Note:  Data over 1,000 is rounded to nearest 100. Data under 1,000 is rounded to nearest 10. 
		
	
	Information for 2002 is not available. The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) produces data on the number of care homes and places registered as at 31 March each year, beginning with 2003. There are some definitional differences between these data and those for years up to 2001.
	I understand from the chair of CSCI that the number of nursing and residential homes and registered places in England for 2003 onwards is as shown in table two.
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of care homes in England 2003 to 2006 
			  As at:  Nursing  Personal care  Non-medical  Total 
			 31 March 2003 4,291 15,562 7 19,860 
			 31 March 2004 4,118 15,307 12 19,437 
			 31 March 2005 4,083 14,976 14 19,073 
			 21 March 2006(1) 4,049 14,701 16 18,766 
			  
			  Maximum number of registered places for England 2003 to 2006 
			 31 March 2003 178,406 251,706 112 430,224 
			 31 March 2004 174,492 268,818 200 443,510 
			 31 March 2005 174,709 265,167 204 440,080 
			 21 March 2006(1) 175,764 263,974 300 440,038 
			 (1) Final figures for the number of care homes and places in England at 31 March 2006 will appear in CSCI's annual report, due to be published on the 21 July 2006. 
		
	
	The CSCI does not collect information on care homes by constituency. The number of nursing and residential homes and registered places in the East Riding of Yorkshire Local Authority, which includes Beverley and Holderness constituency, for 2003 onwards is shown in table three.
	
		
			  Table 3: Number of care homes for East Riding of Yorkshire local authority, 2003 to 2006 
			  As at:  Nursing  Personal care  Non-medical  Total 
			 31 March 2003 21 191 0 212 
			 31 March 2004 17 171 0 188 
			 31 March 2005 14 163 0 177 
			 21 March 2006(1) 15 152 1 168 
			  
			  Maximum number of registered places for East Riding of Yorkshire local authority, 2003-2006 
			 31 March 2003 851 3,413 0 4264 
			 31 March 2004 785 3,285 0 4070 
			 31 March 2005 696 3,178 0 3874 
			 21 March 2006(1) 779 3,029 31 3839 
			 (1) Final figures for the number of care homes and places in England at 31 March 2006 will appear in CSCI's annual report, due to be published on the 21 July 2006. 
		
	
	The CSCI does not record information on long-term beds in the format requested.

Childhood Obesity

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions she has had with  (a) the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and  (b) Sport England about programmes to reduce the levels of childhood obesity; and what the outcome was.

Caroline Flint: Meetings between the Department and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to discuss programmes to reduce the levels of childhood obesity have taken place in November 2005 and March 2006. The aim of these meeting were to create a shared understanding of the relationship between key factors influencing levels of obesity and their elative importance and to build on this evidence to identify effective interventions.
	No recent meetings have taken place with Sport England.

Children's Health Services

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many specialist paediatric diabetes nurses there are in London, broken down by borough.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Colonoscopy

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many colonoscopy procedures were carried out per head of the population in each  (a) Government office region and  (b) strategic health authority area in each of the last three years.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 9 May 2006
	The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Consultants/Scanners

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) consultant oncologists,  (b) diagnostic radiographers and  (c) MRI scanners there are per 100,000 people in (i) England, (ii) the North East and (iii) the Tees Valley.

Andy Burnham: The number of oncologists and qualified diagnostic radiographers are shown in table one.
	
		
			  Table 1: National health service hospital and community health services: qualified diagnostic radiographer staff and medical consultants in the oncology specialties in England, the North East Government Office Region (GOR) and County Durham and Tees Valley strategic health authority (SHA) area by organisation as at 30 September 2004. 
			   Medical oncology  Clinical oncology  Qualified diagnostic radiographer 
			   2004  2004  2004 
			 England 201 392 12,147 
			 North East GOR 10 22 695 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley SHA  8 301 
			 Source:  The Information Centre for health and social care, medical and dental workforce census 2004. The Information Centre for health and social care, non-medical workforce census 2004. The number of magnetic resonance imaging scanners, by strategic health authority, is shown in table two 
		
	
	
		
			  MRI scanners per strategic health authority populationApril 2006 
			  Strategic health authority  StHA population (million)  Number of MRI scanners installed at April 2006  Current number of MRI scanners per million population 
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 2.145169 11 5 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 1.597683 11 7 
			 Birmingham and the Black Country 2.253138 16 7 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside 2.342986 14 6 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley 1.130914 8 7 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire 1.900164 8 4 
			 Essex 1.612591 7 4 
			 Greater Manchester 2.481716 14 6 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 1.749121 9 5 
			 Kent and Medway 1.574485 7 4 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland 1.550145 6 4 
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire 2.137891 12 6 
			 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire 1.605873 6 4 
			 North Central London 1.179126 15 13 
			 North East London 1.498252 8 5 
			 North West London 1.728835 10 6 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 1.381721 8 6 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire 1.482565 8 5 
			 Somerset and Dorset 1.183546 7 6 
			 South East London 1.490338 12 8 
			 South West London 1.279614 10 8 
			 South West Peninsula 1.561977 7 4 
			 South Yorkshire 1.26501 8 6 
			 West Midlands South 1.521798 8 5 
			 Surrey and Sussex 2.548772 11 4 
			 Thames Valley 2.075848 13 6 
			 Trent 2.610709 11 4 
			 West Yorkshire 2.078323 11 5 
			 
			 Total 48.96831 276 (1)5.8 
			 (1 )Average.

Continuing Care Costs

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what protection she plans to put in place for those who may lose their entitlement to NHS funded continuing care under the new National Framework;
	(2)  when she expects to publish the National Framework for Continuing Care.

Ivan Lewis: We expect public consultation on the national framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare to begin in the near future and will last for three months. It would be inappropriate to give any target date for publication of the final national framework until the consultation has been completed.
	The national framework will not change the existing legal basis for the provision of NHS Continuing Healthcare. Fully funded NHS Continuing Healthcare will continue to be provided for all those individuals whose primary need is a health need. This is based on an assessment of need and if individuals' needs have not changed there is no reason to expect them to lose their entitlement to NHS Continuing Healthcare. However, it would be inappropriate to give a guarantee that every individual would continue to receive NHS Continuing Healthcare after re-assessment if their needs have changed.

Dentistry

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to commission new dental services in the Eastbourne area.

Rosie Winterton: Since 2003-04, the Department has invested an additional 250 million in national health service dentistry and supported the NHS in recruiting the equivalent of an extra 1,459 dentists to improve patient access. The Government are also funding an additional 170 training places per year from 2005.
	From April 2006, the NHS implemented major reforms to dentistry to build upon this success. New contracts for dentists have abolished the traditional fee per item remuneration system and support new ways of working with a greater focus on preventative care. Evidence from personal dental services pilot schemes is that these new ways of working free up significant capacity that dentists can then use in part to see a greater range of patients.
	Dentists' current NHS earnings will be protected for at least three years and there will be a 5 per cent, reduction in the courses of treatment that general dental services practitioners are expected to carry out each year.
	From April 2006, primary care trusts (PCTs), including Eastbourne Downs PCT, will also have devolved responsibility and ring-fenced budgets for commissioning primary dental services. This means that, if a dentist leaves the NHS or reduces their NHS commitment, the resources stay with the PCT to be re-invested in local dental services.
	Eastbourne Downs PCT has commissioned replacement NHS capacity in Eastbourne valued at 450,000.

Dentistry

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to ensure that NHS dental treatment is available to all  (a) children and  (b) residents of Eastbourne and Willingdon.

Rosie Winterton: Since 2003-04, the Department has invested an additional 250 million in national health service dentistry and supported the NHS in recruiting the equivalent of an extra 1,459 dentists to improve patient access. The Government are also funding an additional 170 training places per year from 2005.
	From April 2006, primary care trusts (PCTs), including Eastbourne Downs PCT, have devolved responsibility and ring-fenced budgets for commissioning primary dental services. This means that if a dentist leaves the NHS or reduces their NHS commitment, the resources stay with the PCT to be re-invested in local dental services.
	Eastbourne Downs PCT has commissioned replacement NHS capacity in Eastbourne valued at 450,000. The PCT has retained NHS treatment in for children in all but two of the practices that have rejected the NHS contract.

Dentistry

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists have  (a) signed and  (b) refused to sign the new contract for NHS dentistry in the primary care trusts which serve Portsmouth; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of dentists who have signed the new contract and the number who have not signed is not available centrally. We do however have some provisional information that covers contracts. A contract may be for more than one dentist so cannot be broken down further to individual dentist level.
	Provisional management estimates show that in the Portsmouth city primary care trust area:
	
		
			  Contracts signed  Contracts still in discussion  Contracts rejected  Contracts signed 
			 A: Number B: Approximate unites of dental activity (UDA) value C: Number D: Approximate UDA value E: Number F: Approximate UDA value % UDAs G: Number signed without dispute H: Number signed in dispute % Disputes 
			 30 283,111 0 0 4 26,273 8.5 14 16 53 
			  Note:  The information provided is not validated. It represents a snapshot of the position in early April. 
		
	
	A contract may be for either a practice or an individual dentist.
	Primary care trusts (PCT) are working with dentists to resolve as many disputes as possible locally.
	The majority of NHS dentists in Portsmouth have accepted the new NHS contract and as a consequence the loss is relatively minimal. However, the PCT will be using the funding available to purchase additional units of dental activity from other interested dentists in the short term to seek to maintain levels of dentistry.

Dentistry

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on NHS dentistry in the Barnet primary care trust area in 1997; how much has been allocated for 2006-07; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The main element of national health service dental services are the primary dental care services previously provided by dentists working within the general dental service (GDS) or personal dental service (PDS) pilots.
	The latest available data shows that the net and gross expenditure on these services within the area of the Barnet primary care trust (PCT) in 1997-98 were 5.701 million and 7.207 million respectively(1,2). The difference between net and gross expenditure is the contribution to costs from dental charges collected directly from patients.
	A net funding allocation for 2006-07 of 11.55 million has been awarded to Barnet PCT for local commissioning of equivalent NHS primary dental services. The associated indicative gross budget, taking into account expected patient charge income, is 13.787 million. PCTs may direct additional funding to dentistry from their general NHS resources if they judge this to be a necessary and appropriate local priority.
	Expenditure figures for 1997-98 do not capture certain elements of the cost of primary dental care services which are reflected in the 2006-07 dental allocations.
	(1 )1997-98 expenditure figures are drawn from The Information Centre for health and social care and the Business Services Authority. Gross GDS payments include adult fees (including item of service and continuing care payments), child fees (including item of service and capitation payments), commitment payments and point of treatment check payment training (in 2001 only), seniority payments, maternity/paternity/adoptive leave payments, long term sick leave payments, continuing professional development allowances including travel hours, reimbursement of business rates, vocational training grants and clinical audit payments.
	The following costs are excluded from this data:
	employer's superannuation costs, vocational trainee salaries and National Insurance contribution costs, clinical audit convenors, clinical audit secretarial support costs and travel expenses, and costs associated with any salaried general dental practitioners and emergency dental services.
	(2) Payments are assigned to areas on the basis of practice postcode data.

Dentistry

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people newly qualified as dentists in each of the last five years; and how much the training cost  (a) per dentist and  (b) in total in each year.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of graduates from dentistry courses leading to professional registration, in England, is held centrally only from 2002 which is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Dentistry graduates 
			   Number 
			 2002-03 553 
			 2003-04 579 
			 2004-05 605 
			  Note:  HESA do not collect data on dentistry students at Eastman Dental Hospital and Defence Dental Agency Training Establishment.   Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student record. 
		
	
	We estimate that in 2005-06 the average cost of training a dentist was 160,000 over the five-year course or 32,000 per year. On this basis, the total cost of training the 3,500 students in dental schools in England in 2005-06 was 112 million. Comparable information is not available centrally for earlier years, but we estimate that these costs have moved broadly in line with inflation over the last five years.

Departmental Management Structure

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will publish the conclusions of the review of her Department's top management structure.

Ivan Lewis: The conclusions of the review of the Department's top management structure were presented and circulated to staff in January. The presentation, staff bulletin and a supplementary question and answer pack have been available on request from the Department. Copies have now been placed in the Library.

Disability Equipment (Internet)

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what regulations are in place to ensure appropriate risk assessments are carried out on disability equipment sold on the internet.

Andy Burnham: New disability equipment such as mobility aids, environmental controls, communication aids, posture management, pressure management and moving and handling systems which are classed as medical devices and have been placed on the European market since June 1998 are required to meet the Medical Devices Directive 93/42/EEC. This directive is brought into United Kingdom law under the Medical Device Regulations 2002 (amended 2003). Such medical devices must carry the CE mark indicating conformity to the directive.
	Before applying the CE mark the manufacturer must ensure that all risks are removed or minimised and any residual risks constitute acceptable risks when weighed against the benefit to the user and are compatible with a high level of protection of safety. If it is not possible to reduce these risks by means of inherently safe design or construction whilst providing benefit to the user then the manufacturer must inform users of the residual risks by means of labelling on the device and/or warnings contained in the user information.
	On behalf of the Secretary of State for Health, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) acts as the competent authority for the UK Medical Device Regulations. The MHRA has a specialist unit covering all aspects of assistive technology which includes disability equipment. Proactive and reactive investigations involving medical devices including assistive technology are carried out. Where appropriate the MHRA also works with or refers cases to other regulatory bodies in the United Kingdom such as Trading Standards and also liaises as necessary with other competent authorities within Europe and also with the United States of America, Canada, and Australia.
	The requirement for all medical devices placed on the market in the United Kingdom to carry an appropriate CE marking applies equally to products advertised on the internet, regardless of their country of origin. However, the regulation of the sale of medical devices available on the internet is more problematic than with sales from more conventional outlets. The MHRA advises the public to be wary when purchasing any medicinal or healthcare product from an unknown source, such as the internet, as it is not possible to guarantee the efficacy or safety of such items.

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 6 March 2006,  Official Report, column 1203W, on Duchenne muscular dystrophy, what assessment has been made of the progress of research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy; and what actions have followed from the research.

Andy Burnham: The 1.6 million, four-year programme (2005 to 2008) of research towards a phase one clinical trial for duchenne muscular dystrophy that the Department has been supporting is administered through the company LGC Ltd. Progress is assessed through quarterly reports, and site visits by LGC Ltd. The programme started in January 2005, and the most recent site visit, in February 2006, found the research to be progressing well, with the first-year objectives completed, and the phase one clinical trial predicted to take place towards the end of 2008.

European Health Insurance Card

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 18 April,  Official Report, columns 388-9W, on the European health insurance card, how many information leaflets were distributed; and what the total cost was of the awareness campaign.

Rosie Winterton: The publicity campaign took place over two years at a total cost of 2.4million. The following leaflets were produced:
	- 13.6 million copies of the standard the Department's booklet, 'Health Advice for Travellers' containing advice about the European health insurance card (EHIC) arrangements.
	- 30 million leaflets specifically about changes related to the introduction of the EHIC.

Free Diagnostic Testing

Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the NHS hospitals in London offering free diagnostic testing to GP practices; and what the estimated financial value is of this offer.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	It is for local national health service organisations in conjunction with the primary care trusts and strategic health authorities to plan and develop services according to the needs of their local communities.

Herceptin

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the prescription of Herceptin to patients with early stage breast cancer.

Andy Burnham: The position on the prescription and provision of Herceptin for HER2 positive early stage breast cancer, ahead of a decision on licensing or National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance, remains as set out in the NHS chief executive's bulletin: Issue 294, 4-10 November 2005. This is that:
	It is down to individual clinicians to decide whether to prescribe Herceptin for a woman who has tested HER2 positive after discussions with the woman about potential risks and taking into account her medical history.
	Primary care trusts (PCTs) should not refuse to fund Herceptin solely on the grounds of its cost.
	PCTs should not rule out treatments on principle but consider individual circumstances.
	This policy does not in any way replace either the licensing process or the NICE appraisal process.

Independent Treatment Centres

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have been treated by Barlborough Independent Treatment Centre since its inception; and how many of these patients lived in Bassetlaw.

Rosie Winterton: At the end of March this year 3,678 patients had been treated at the Barlborough NHS Treatment Centre. Information on the number who lived in Bassetlaw is not held centrally.

Isolation Wards

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of the availability of isolation facilities in NHS hospitals.

Andy Burnham: Full information on the availability of isolation facilities is not available but Departmental guidance is that new buildings should ideally contain at least 50 per cent. of their beds in single rooms. NHS Estates published guidance in February 2005 to assist local planning for isolation facilities and the Department is considering the need for guidance on ventilated isolation facilities.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if she will make a statement on the role of the national myalgic encephalomyelitis observatory;
	(2)  what funding has been provided by  (a) central Government and  (b) statutory bodies for the development and support of the national myalgic encephalomyelitis observatory.

Ivan Lewis: Action on myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) has received over 500,000 funding from the Big Lottery Fund to establish a national ME/chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) research observatory. No funding has been provided by central Government or statutory bodies to support this research observatory.
	This research observatory will gather comprehensive data on a range of important clinical and social factors which affect those living with ME/CFS.
	The three-year project, which involves teams from the University of East Anglia, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and the Hull-York Medical School, aims to increase the availability of information about the disease and reduce the stigmatisation which can arise from a lack of understanding of this distressing disease.

MHRA

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many changes to labelling applications were considered by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in  (a) 2003-04 and  (b) 2004-05; and what the longest time taken to process an application was in each year;
	(2)  what representations she has received on the business impact of the time taken by the MHRA to process product licence and labelling applications; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The table indicates the number of applications received by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in respect of proposed changes to medicines labelling and/or patient information leaflets during the years cited. It also sets out the percentage of applicants notified of the outcome of the submission within 30, 60 and 90 calendar days of receipt of a valid submission. The longest time taken to progress an individual case in the years cited was 128 and 156 calendar days respectively.
	
		
			   2003-04  2004-05 
			 Applications received 1,537 1,785 
			 Percentage of cases where outcome notified within 30 days 36 42 
			 Percentage of cases where outcome notified within 60 days 57 56 
			 Percentage of cases where outcome notified within 90 days 99 99 
		
	
	The MHRA is in regular discussion with industry associations and individual companies about the processes in place to assess applications and the time scales involved. I am aware that its performance regarding licence and variation approval times during the past months has been affected by a combination of adverse factors including increases in work load, difficulties in recruiting professional assessment staff, especially medically qualified staff, and transitional implementation problems during the introduction of a new information management system. The MHRA is taking a number of steps to improve service levels. These include organisational restructuring, additional recruitment, re-training of staff, voluntary schemes for extended working hours, and information system performance enhancements. The MHRA's new information management system will provide the potential for greater efficiency within the MHRA and also provide a number of additional benefits to the industry, such as the ability to make electronic applications, and track progress of outstanding applications.
	The MHRA is committed to developing regulation which is proportionate, accountable, consistent, transparent and targeted and is currently considering how unnecessary regulatory burdens, primarily in relation to over the counter (OTC) medicines, could be eased. To take this important initiative forward, the MHRA is leading the better regulation of OTC medicines initiative. As part of this process, industry has been asked to quantify the business impact of the time taken to respond to applications for a change to product information and this will inform proposals for change.

Mental Health Services

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children were admitted to adult acute mental wards in 2005-06.

Ivan Lewis: The information is not available in the form requested.
	In the period from 1 April to 31 December 2005 in England, there were 1,818 hospital occupied bed days spent by patients aged under 16 on admission on adult psychiatric wards. The equivalent figure for patients aged 16 or 17 on admission was 25,045.

Ministerial Statement

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the evidential basis was for the statement she made on BBC Radio 5 Live that the national health service had had its best year ever; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: Over the past year, the national health service has continued to deliver improved services. Hospital waiting lists are lower than ever, over half a million down from their peak, and there is now a maximum wait of six months for an inpatient appointment, from over 18 months in 2000, and 13 weeks for an outpatient consultationit was over a year in 2000.
	Patients are also treated more promptly within the hospitalmore than 98 per cent. of patients are now seen and treated within four hours of arrival in accidents and emergency.
	The NHS is delivering cancer services more quickly, to more people than ever before, and over 99 per cent. of people with suspected cancer are seen by a specialist within two weeks of being referred urgently by their general practitioner (GP)this figure was 63 per cent. in 1997. In addition, over 96 per cent. of patients receive treatment within one month of being diagnosed with cancer.
	Patients now have more choice and involvement in their own carehospital appointments are booked for the convenience of the patient and, since 1 January 2006, eligible patients needing planned hospital care are being offered a choice of at least four providers, where this is clinically appropriate, at the point of GP referral to consultant-led first outpatient appointments.

Multiple Sclerosis

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to change his proposals for increasing inspection fees for charitable multiple sclerosis treatment centres offering oxygen therapies following the review by the Healthcare Commission; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The Healthcare Commission recently consulted on its proposals for a revised fees scheme for registered private and voluntary healthcare establishments, including those providing hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Their proposals are being considered and the commission will publish their revised scale of fees in the near future.

NHS Finance

Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average NHS expenditure per head was in the hospitals located in  (a) Bexley care trust's area of responsibility and  (b) London in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Andy Burnham: In 2004-05 primary care trust expenditure per head by unweighted head of population for Bexley care trust was 1,133.12. Average for all London primary care trusts was 1,320.37.

NHS Hospitals

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) name,  (b) address and  (c) post code is of each NHS hospital in England; and which of these are run by foundation trusts.

Ivan Lewis: This information is not centrally available.
	Names, addresses and post codes for individual hospitals can be found on the following website: www.nhs.uk/England/Hospitals/Default.cmsx

NHS IT

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish the McKinsey Report on an NHS IT scheme.

Caroline Flint: A report completed for the Department by McKinsey and Company which considers the scope and uses of the new national health service information technology systems, and in particular their application to clinical research in the United Kingdom, was published in December 2005 and can be found on the following website:
	www.ukcrc.org/publications/reports.aspx.

NHS Logistics Procurement

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to get parliamentary approval for the outsourcing of NHS logistics procurement and supply chain services.

Andy Burnham: There are no plans to do so.
	The plan to outsource the NHS Logistics Authority was set out in Reconfiguring the Department of Health's Arm's Length Bodies in July 2004 and an advertisement was placed in the Official Journal of the European Union in August 2004.
	I have received representations from Members of Parliament with a local interest to which I have responded. These have included meetings and debating the matter in Westminster Hall in July last year.

NHS Reorganisation

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to the statement of the Minister of State of 7 February 2006,  Official Report, columns 806-07 on NHS reorganisation, what progress has been made in developing the detail of a commissioning proposal; what the timetable is for its development and implementation; who is responsible for its development; and if she will make a statement on the steps being taken to ensure equal access to a choice of providers for patients from the Isle of Wight;
	(2)  when she will provide a substantive response to Question 64809, tabled by the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight on 18 April, on NHS reorganisation.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 24 April 2006
	As part of the programme of work set out in Health Reform in England: update and next steps (December 2005), the Department is developing a new system of commissioning health services, which will operate as a partnership between general practitioner (GP) practices, primary care trusts (PCTs) and local authorities.
	The commissioning policy framework will be published in the summer of 2006. This work is being led by the Department's policy and strategy directorate, with the support and advice of an external reference group drawn from a wide range of stakeholder and partner organisations.
	PCTs are responsible for commissioning the choices offered at referral in consultation with patient groups. The Isle of Wight PCT has commissioned services from seven providers, four of which can be reached within approximately one hour 30 minutes travelling time. Some patients will need assistance with travel to hospital. PCTs are responsible for ensuring that there is provision of ambulance services, which could include patient transport services, to such extent as they consider necessary to meet all reasonable requirements. It is, therefore, for the local NHS to decide who provides patient transport services for eligible patients in their area. In addition, patients on a low income may be entitled to reimbursement of their travel costs under the hospital travel cost scheme. This applies to any of the hospitals on their PCT's choice menu.
	Our Health, Our Care, Our Say set the direction for designing services which will provide patients with access to care as close to their home as possible. This may involve the use of community hospitals and through increasing provision of secondary care services in a primary care setting, for example by GPs with a special interest.

Operations

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations were performed in each health trust in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Andy Burnham: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Personal Care

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 27 April 2006,  Official Report, column 1301W, on elderly care costs, whether she has requested the figures for the estimated savings on Department for Work and Pensions disability benefits that would result from making free personal care available.

Ivan Lewis: A note setting out how the costs and possible offsetting savings in disability benefits were estimated is available in the Library.

Pharmacies

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she plans to permit a pharmacist to act as the responsible pharmacist for more than one community pharmacy.

Andy Burnham: Clause 29 of the Health Bill inserts two new sections, sections 72A and 72B, into the Medicines Act 1969 in relation to the responsible pharmacist. The Government believe that the general rule should be one responsible pharmacist, one pharmacy, if the responsible pharmacist is to discharge his or her responsibilities for the safe and effective running of the pharmacy. For the vast majority of pharmacies, we expect each to have its own responsible pharmacist. However, we also believe that there should be provision to consider any exception to this rule, where circumstances justify such an exception. Section 72A(2) provides for a pharmacist to be responsible for more than one pharmacy at any one time only in circumstances to be specified in regulations and where there is compliance with certain conditions set out in the regulations. Our intention is to consult, in due course, with all interested parties on what these circumstances and conditions might be.

Queen Mary's Hospital Trust, Sidcup

Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many redundancies she expects at Queen Mary's hospital, Sidcup, broken down by specialty or function.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	It is for local national health service organisations in conjunction with the primary care trusts and strategic health authorities to plan and develop services according to the needs of their local communities.
	I am informed that Queen Mary's hospital trust has launched a formal consultation on proposals to reduce the work force. This consultation ends on 28 June 2006 following which the trust board will consider all views received at a formal public meeting.

Shipman Inquiry

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health why the Government has not yet implemented all of the recommendations of Dame Janet Smith's inquiries into the case of Harold Shipman; what steps she is taking to implement the remaining recommendations; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 8 May 2006
	The Government have already published details of the action they are proposing to take forward the recommendations of the Shipman inquiry's fourth report on controlled drugs, and the recommendations in the third report relating to reform of the coroners' system. Good progress has already been made in implementing the action programme on controlled drugs, and draft legislation to implement the action on coronial reform will be presented to Parliament later this year.
	The Government are now awaiting the recommendations of a review by the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of certain aspects of medical regulation, including the revalidation of doctors. The CMO is currently finalising his report and will be reporting to ministers in the near future. Once Ministers have considered the CMC's recommendations, the Government will publish a comprehensive action programme responding to the outstanding recommendations of the Shipman Inquiry and to the linked recommendations in the Ayling, Neale and Kerr-Haslem inquiries.

Shipman Inquiry

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the Chief Medical Officer to release his review of the Shipman Report.

Andy Burnham: The Chief Medical Officer is currently finalising his report and will be reporting to Ministers in the near future.

Small Firms

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what definition his Department uses of a small firm.

Andy Burnham: The Department does not use any definition of a small firm. In reporting data about businesses placed with small and medium-sized enterprise (SME), we define a SME as a firm employing under 250 people. This is in line with the definition of a SME provided by the Department of Trade and Industry's small business service. The Department does not differentiate between a small firm and a medium-sized firm for procurement purposes.

Treatment Centres

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which clinical procedures are undertaken for NHS patients at the treatment centre at Shepton Mallett; how much is paid to the treatment centre each time each such procedure is undertaken; how much would be paid to an NHS hospital in the area for the same procedure; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 8 May 2006
	The Shepton Mallett treatment centre provides procedures in orthopaedics, ophthalmology, general surgery and endoscopy. The price per procedure paid to wave one independent sector treatment centres is commercially confidential.
	National health service tariff data is available at the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidanceArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4091529chk=f%2Bcvh8.
	The independent sector treatment centre programme has ensured value for money by running a robust and competitive procurement process, benchmarking procedure prices between contracts and comparing them to those traditionally paid to the NHS.

University Hospital of North Staffordshire

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish the review carried out by  (a) Ernst and Young and  (b) the Department's turnaround team into the forecast deficit of the University Hospital of North Staffordshire for the year ending 31 March 2006.

Andy Burnham: The Shropshire and Staffordshire strategic health authority (SHA) has advised me that Ernst and Young carried out a review of finances across the whole of the SHA, and following that they were retained by University Hospitals of North Staffordshire NHS trust to specifically look at the financial position there. I do not have copies of their review. Publication of the review is a matter for the SHA to consider.
	The first stage of turnaround was a baseline assessment, the aim of which was to ensure there is an agreed understanding of the local financial problem and that actions are in hand to address this. The director of finance of the Department published the national assessment in a report on 25 January 2006.
	Further work and planning is being done at a local level by the trust and SHA. Publication of these plans is a matter for them to consider.

Ward Closures

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the hospitals where ward closures are planned, broken down by parliamentary constituency.

Andy Burnham: The Department does not routinely collect and hold centrally operational management information on proposals to close wards or capacity.
	This Government have given local authority overview and scrutiny committees the power to review and scrutinise health services from the perspective of their local populations. National health service bodies are under a duty to consult overview and scrutiny committees on any plans to make substantial variation to NHS services. Those committees have the powers to refer any proposal to the Secretary of State if they believe the plans are not in the interests of the health service.